Seeking Sunrise
by raepan2010
Summary: Instead of joining Fairy Tail Lucy avoids it, knowing it will be the first place her father looks for her. Traveling as a freelance mage she meets new friends and forms a new team. They stumble upon clues of an ancient spell that leads them on a crazy adventure. Eventually will include DESNA's characters. Pairings undecided, for now. M to be safe.
1. Starting Fresh

To my other story fans. I'm sorry. My muse if a fickle b***h. I've tried working on my other stories, but this one is persistent. Updates may be fast at first, but once work gets going again for me it will be sporadic. Between working full time and going to school part time I'll probably use a good portion of free time on studying. I'll work on this as much as I can, but I make no promises to follow a pattern.

The obligatory disclaimer. I don't own Fairy Tail or any of the characters. I don't own the Pradesh Family characters or the idea of Bosco or White Sea, those are Desna's brilliant brain children. I do, however, own Mia and Thoma. Special thanks to Desna for allowing people to use her characters and for helping me come up with a title for this story.

 **Seeking Sunrise**

 _Prologue: Starting Fresh_

Soft moonlight filtered through the windows and gave off a silver illumination in the halls. A feminine figure scurried from shadow to shadow with a small satchel thrown over her shoulder. The young woman forced herself to breathe as quietly as she could. She had waited for a long time for this opportunity, the last thing she wanted to do was ruin it by making careless noises.

In the center of the hallway were two doors facing opposite of one another. The door to her left had a soft light filtering from the crack below. The door on her right was dark. As silently as possible, the young woman opened the darkened door and slipped inside. Just as quietly she shut it to filter out any noises she would make. The room gave a mystical glow with the moonlight shining through the windows and double doors that led to the balcony. Using that as her guide and not risk any other lighting, the figure dodged furniture and large instruments spread throughout the music room. After opening the doors leading to the balcony a light breeze flowed through and lifted some of the woman's fine golden hair from the confides of her cloak. Moving as quickly as she could while still being quiet the figure started pulling the drapes and curtains from the windows. Using the cords that tied them shut first, she knotted them together to form a type of rope.

Tying the newly formed rope to the rail of the balcony she threw the loose end over the side. Watching it stop, the young woman figured she still had about a five-foot fall from the end. Heading back in, she took the strewn drapes and bundled them together. Without any thought to how they would end up she threw them over the balcony, just below the make shift rope. They landed in a heap below the balcony.

After making sure her satchel was secure, she carefully eased herself up and over the rail of the balcony as she kept a tight grip on the rope. She slowly edged her way down until her feet reached the end. Taking a deep and steadying breath, the woman let go while forcing herself to remain quiet. Despite her best efforts she still let out a huff of air and the fluttering of the ruined drapes as she landed still made some noise.

The landing caused the hood to fall off the figures head. A blonde haired, brown eyed seventeen-year-old girl emerged from the top of the pile. She quickly glanced around her to ensure that her escape still went unnoticed. She glanced up to the backside of the mansion she was now facing. She let out a small sigh of relief that none of the lights had been turned on. Standing, she adjusted the satchel and headed to the garden the balcony had overlooked. She knew that if she went around and tried to escape through the front gate her chances of being caught would go up. Past the garden the young woman looked back to the Konzern just before entering the forest. "Bye Mom," she whispered. "I'll write to you every day." Without another word she disappeared into the trees.

~ The smell of sterile equipment was the first thing that met the senses. A young woman with curly, light brown hair groggily opened her blue eyes. She looked down to see that her arms were covered in bandages with spots of blood going down the length of each randomly. A noise drew her attention to the door. A nurse walked into the room. "It's good to see you're awake," she said. "How are you feeling?"

The patient tried to speak, but found that her throat was in far too much pain. "I'm terribly sorry," the nurse stated in panic. "I completely forgot about your throat injury. It's such a normal question for me to ask newly wakened patients." The nurse gently lowered the collar of the hospital gown. "It's only natural for a sore throat after the stress you've been through." The young woman could only look at her in confusion. "The doctor will be in to discuss with you what happened. For now, just know that you're safe and on the mend."

No sooner had the nurse spoke than a man in a lab coat entered. The nurse gave a reassuring smile and left. The doctor checked the patient's vitals before turning his attention to the person in the bed. "Miss Barden," he began. "You're very lucky that your magic manifested when it did. The farm equipment would have done even more damage to your arms, if not remove them all together. As for the damage to your throat…." The doctor paused and let out a disappointed sigh. "The damage to your throat is more complicated. You most likely don't remember due to the trauma to your arms. Unfortunately there's no easy was to say this. Your father is in custody for attacking you. I had to go to your home to talk with your mother about your care. I'm sorry to inform you that because you've developed magic they want nothing to do with you. It was your father that caused the damage to your throat. You're alive right now because a passing neighbor heard screams and had come to see if they could help. He was the one that brought you in after defending you from your father."

The girl broke down into silent tears. Magic had never run in the family. They had planned for her to marry and work the farm or her husband's farm. Her magic, which she still didn't know what it was, changed everything. As she continued to cry a silvery white dome covered her and the bed. Magic symbols spread across the dome. Realizing her magic was manifesting in an effort to protect her feelings the doctor quietly left the room.

It took a while for the girl to calm down, but when she finally looked up she noticed the dome that surrounded her. She blinked at it in confusion then looked down at her own hands. In each hand was a small circle the same color as the dome with matching magic symbols. Taking a shuddering breath to calm her nerves the dome slowly dissolved and the girl was left alone again. She continued to stare at her hands, trying to get the dome to come back without success. "You'll need a teacher." The new voice startled the girl to look towards the door. She recognized the man as their neighbor, Nico Rolf.

He was getting up in his years. His wife passed away the year prior and all his children moved away, wanting to get away from the small town. He shuffled his way into the room and sat in the visitor chair heavily. "There hasn't been a mage born in this town for at least three generations," he started conversationally. "Even so, that mage hadn't been related to your family. So, it's more than a surprise that you should be one. I'm not going to apologize on your family's behalf. What they did and are doing to you is inexcusable. Just because you have magic is no reason to shun you, let alone attack. I only managed to get you away from your father before more damage could be done because I surprised him. The way your mother just stood there, I knew I couldn't rely on her. I rushed you to the clinic as fast as I could. There's no magical healer here though. Your arms will take time to heal. As soon as you were in their care I called the rune knights. Crimes against mages are the council's jurisdiction. I imagine your father will be facing serious jail time.

"Your mum, I can't say I have many kind words for her anymore. Just know that when they release you, you have a place to stay in my house. It's awfully big for just one man to take care of by himself. You help around the house while I tend to the fields and I'll make sure to find a way to get you the instruction you need to control your magic. I've already asked the rune knights when they were here if they knew someone that could help. From the description I gave them, they said it sounds like you have barrier magic. I guess they're impressed since barrier magic is really useful and those that are born with it tend to be stronger than those that learn to use it."

Nico went silent as he ran out of things to say. After a few minutes he brought up the hard subject. "Mia, your pop will be going to trial for what he did to you. They're going to want you to testify, or at least tell them what you know." Mia's face became stricken at the news. "I'm going to help you as much as I can," Nico assured. "But since I'm not next of kin and you're of legal age I can't really stop them from calling on you to testify. As it is, they didn't want me offering you a place to stay until I told them that you would be working in the house for room and board. That would be making me your landlord. Once you've been taught how to control your magic you should find a guild to join or something. This town hasn't had many interactions with magic. It's kind of stuck in the old traditions where magic was seen as an evil thing. It won't be safe for you here for long." Mia nodded her head in understanding. A plan was beginning to form in her head on how to handle the situation.

~ Bodies were strewn across the ground, groaning in pain of one form or another. A lithe young man in his late teens or early twenties stood over them. He had long coffee brown hair tied at the base of his neck and amber eyes. "Get out of here," he hissed. "The next time I see one of you scum I won't be so nice."

One of the injured got on his knees, holding his stomach in pain. "He calls this nice?" he grumbled. Without warning the man was suddenly in front of him. "I-I mean… We're leaving.. right now." As fast as he could, while still holding his stomach, he stood. He grabbed the arm of the guy closest to him and tried to pull him to his feet. After a few minutes the group of seven stumbled out of the clearing.

Once they were gone several small children rushed out of hiding and circled the now calm man. "That was so cool big brother," a small boy said. "Can you teach me to do that?"

The man let out a laugh and picked the boy up along with the smallest girl. "No can-do Jonah," the man said. "I don't even know how I got this magic. I've had to be really careful not to hurt the house."

"But brother Thoma," the small girl said shyly. "Teacher says that almost everyone can learn magic."

"She's kind of right," Thoma agreed. "But she's also wrong. She said 'almost' everyone, which also means 'not everyone'. Some people just aren't able to use magic. She also said that those that do learn don't learn the same type. If you did learn magic it probably won't be wind magic like me." He bounced the girl in his arm a bit as they walked from the clearing. "I bit little Sarah here would learn bubble magic if she could."

"Bubbles!" Sarah let out a giggle.

"There's no such thing as bubble magic," Jonah protested. Sarah instantly deflated and wore a pout.

"Don't be mean," Thoma chastised. "We all need dreams to get us through."

"What's your dream brother Thoma," Sarah sniffled.

"It's to take care of all of you."

"That's not a very good dream," one of the older boys said. All eyes turned to him, some in confusion and others anger. "You are way past the age to be staying with us in the orphanage. I know that you've been doing work for Teacher, but you can't stay with us forever. I'm old enough to take on the jobs you did and we all know it. You need to get out and see what the world has to offer besides this crappy town."

"Coban, it's not that easy," Thoma tried to reason. "Those punks will probably be back the next time you're sent to the market. They know what days Teacher sends you. If I'm not around…"

"I can defend myself," Coban argued. "You just never give me the chance. I'm second oldest. I can protect everyone too, I just need the chance."

"That's a dangerous line of thought," Thoma stated. "If you go looking for trouble it won't be you protecting everyone, it'll be you putting them in harms way." The group fell into silence as they walked. It didn't take long for them to find a two-story home in the woods that looked like it had seen better days. Out front an aging woman was pacing back and forth. When she saw the group she rushed forward.

"Thoma you have to hurry," she greeted.

"What's the matter Teacher?" he asked. He gently lowered the two that he had carried.

"The rune knights are looking for you."

"Why?"

"There have been reports that a mage in the woods has been randomly attacking the boys of the village while they were gathering wood for their parents."

"That's ridiculous!" Coban yelled. "They weren't gathering wood, they were waiting to steal the money you give us for the market."

"It's our word against theirs," Teacher sighed. "No one in the village is going to believe a group of orphans over their own children. As such, it's safer for Thoma to leave town."

"I don't want big brother to go," Sarah wailed.

"Would you rather he be in jail?" Jonah snapped.

"Jonah," Thoma started.

"He's right though," Coban interrupted. "Look, brother, we'll be fine. We'll change the days that we go to the market, I'll even go alone if it'll help avoid those liars. I can take the long way around if it's necessary. I can do the yard work and maintenance of the house, I've been watching you. Besides, I'm sure there are a lot more people out there then us that needs protection from bullies."

The teacher rushed the other children inside. From the porch she picked up a satchel she had waiting. "I've put everything you need in here," she said. "There's a change of clothes, bread and cheese for food and as much jewel as I can spare."

"Teacher…" Thoma was at a loss for words.

"Listen to me Thoma," she said. "You've protected all the children that have come and gone from my care since you could walk. I don't know much about your lineage, you know that, so I don't know where your magic comes from. But the one thing that I never told you was that while I didn't know who your mother was I knew 'what' she was. The healer that brought you here was the one that tended to your birth. You mother was a slave, you were born a slave. If not for the healer, you would either be a slave now or dead. It was through sheer luck he could smuggle you out. He told me the woman birthed twins that night."

"Twins?" Thoma sucked in a breath.

"Let me finish," the teacher shushed him. "The first twin was stillborn, never managed to take a living breath. You, though, you were healthy. Thankfully you were also calm and quiet for the first precious moments. The healer told the owner the 'only' child born didn't make it. He then rushed you from that place and got you out of the country. Traveling into this country for a week he brought you to me. He didn't want to leave you on a border town. The likelihood of it being home to slave traders too high."

"The only country that we're a weak away from is… Bosco has laws against slavery."

The teacher shook her head. "I moved from that first house for extra protection. You were born in Pergrande. They have strange politics over there so I can't be a hundred percent certain you would have been a slave, born to a merchant, a noble, the king or a gladiator. Though none of them I would wish on my worst enemy."

"I could never imagine treating someone as kind as you the way they treat women in that country," Thoma spat. "Do you know who the healer was. Even if I can't thank him directly, I would still like to know so that I may honor his actions in what I do."

"He kept his name from me. Told me that it was for the best."

"Then he is my nameless guardian," Thoma accepted. He sighed and took the sacthel that was held out to him. "You will all be careful?"

"We will survive," Teacher nodded. "You know that Sarah is the last child I agreed to take in. I'm getting far too old to care for young ones anymore. With you leaving, we'll have a bit of slack to pick up, but I'm sure Coban is up to the challenge. Just make sure you stay away from town. They don't have a good description of you, but it's better to be safe than sorry."

Thoma leaned forward and hugged the elderly woman. "Thank you, teacher," he spoke quietly. "I can never forget the kindness you've shown and taught me."

"Scram you," she tapped his shoulder. "Before you make an old woman cry." Thoma let out a chuckle. With a small gush of wind, he was gone.


	2. Where Next

I don't own Fairy Tail or any of the characters. I don't own the Pradesh Family characters or the idea of Bosco or White Sea, those are Desna's brilliant brain children. I do, however, own Mia and Thoma.

 **Seeking Sunrise**

 _Chapter One: Where Next_

Mia ended up spending two days in the clinic. The doctor wanted to ensure that her neck was healing normally and the various lacerations on her arms didn't develop infection. With a promise from Nico to keep on eye on them and help change the bandages there was no reason for Mia to stay in the small building. Accidents happened all the time in a farming community and the space was needed. They ended up having to get Mia a new wardrobe since her family had burnt what was in her room. Spending a week with Nico, Mia finally received the court summons that she had been dreading.

Mia stood at the stand of the court room, just finished swearing in. Floating, transparent, images of the magic council loomed above. "Now then Miss Barden," Councilman Org started. "Tell us in your own words what happened the day of the incident."

Mia took a deep breath to center herself before speaking. At the very least this was a closed interview. Mister Rolf managed to convince them that her father was too dangerous towards her to allow them in the same vicinity. "It was a normal day," she started. "I was working the lacrima tiller to get the fields ready for planting. As I was moving along I heard a screeching noise and the blades seized. I cut power from the lacrima and started to look around to see what the cause was. A large rock had wedged itself in between some of the gears. In order to pull it out I had to reach past the blades and grab it with both hands. Since I had cut the power from the lacrima, it should have been fine. It happens quite often when we begin the spring harvest. After pulling the rock and trying to coax it free I finally managed to get it unstuck. As I was pulling back the tiller started up again. I didn't have time to think before pain just shot up and down both my arms. There was a flash of light. I remember landing on my back and in a daze. I could hear my parents yelling, but I couldn't make out what was said. Then I couldn't breathe. Fuzzy images turned black. Next thing I know is that I'm waking up in the town clinic. My arms were lacerated by the tiller and I had bruising around my neck."

"Do you know what caused the bruising?" Coucilman Michello asked.

"Only what the doctor told me," Mia's voice grew shaky.

Councilman Belno leaned forward. "What did he say?" she asked kindly. Mia's breathing went from shaky to shuddering. "No harm will come to you here. Take your time, deep breaths."

Mia got her breathing under control and started again. "The doctor said that magic manifested from me, protected me. But it destroyed the tiller. When I had landed, my dad started choking me."

"You have brought an eye witness with you," Councilman Seigrin noted. "Can he verify these accounts?"

Nico stepped up to stand beside Mia. "I can sir," Nico nodded. "If I hadn't been there to stop him, Mia's father would have choked her to death."

A murmur went through the council. Org held a hand to stop the noise. "What happened to your mother?" he asked.

"She disowned me," Mia cried. "We went for my things when I got released, only to find she and my siblings burned them all."

Councilman Yajima spoke next. "It's a great honor in Fiore to have a mage in the family. Why have you been treated so harshly?"

Nico stared at Mia for a moment. She wasn't going to be able to answer right away. "If I may?" he continued when the council approved he gave the answer. "We come from a small farming town. There hasn't been much contact with mages. Our one magic shop only sells lacrima equipment for the farms or tools needed to fix them. Everything else is done by hand. It's still mostly marred in the old way of thinking when magic was rare and thought of used my demons or their followers. Mia's magic would be considered evil to her family. Them burning her belongings was to purge the evil from the home."

"I believe that we've heard enough," Seigrin offered. Nico escorted Mia out of the room at the dismissal. Once the door closed Seigrin turned to the others. "This is clearly a major issue."

"It would appear so," Ogra agreed. "Not only did a budding mage suffer at the hands of zealots, they were her own family."

"It's clear the father is the main suspect," Belno added. "However, I feel restitution should be made by the rest of her family for her lost property. More so since I read in the report earlier that Nico Rolf had to supply her with everything she needed. It's my opinion that not only should they reimburse Miss Barden for the lost property, medical bills, and emotional trauma this has no doubt put her through, but also to reimburse Mister Rolf for suppling her with the basic necessities."

"It seems like the least they could do," Yajima agreed.

"If we're all agreed?" Seigrin looked to see the other members nodding. "On to the matter of the father. We heard his testimony earlier. I hardly need to go over it. He made no attempt to hide his contempt of mages, us included. To blame the destruction by his daughter as intentional are the ramblings of the uneducated. While it is rare, a mage can develop their talents when their body has matured. Or if there is a great enough threat. In this case, Mia's magic saved her from the loss of her arms. It was instinctual, not intentional."

"That kind of instinct could be dangerous," Michello pointed out. "Just look at the mages of that one guild. They run on nothing except instinct and cause us no amount of trouble with rebuilding expenses."

"They're not on discussion here," Yajima pointed out.

"Indeed they're not," Orga agreed. "I would prefer not to speak of them as long as we can avoid it. Michello does raise a point, however. This time it was just replaceable farm equipment, next time an innocent civilian could be hurt."

"I already have an idea to that," Belno spoke up. "I heard Mister Rolf asking one of the employees if they had books she could study on barrier magic. Perhaps allow her access to those resources could give her a better idea how to control her magic."

"That could be one way to help her," Seigrin smiled. "Another would be to offer to provide trainers for her. Investing in her education could be beneficial to us. Once she's finished training she would need to join the rune knights."

"Both are excellent suggestions," Orga agreed. "We shall take a vote on it."

"One more thing," Yajima interrupted. "Wouldn't it be better to ask Miss Barden which she would prefer? She's been through quite the ordeal already. It would be uncouth to force upon her our decision. I agree she needs training, but let her go at her own pace."

"I second that," Belno agreed.

"I agree," Michello added. Behind his folded hands, Seigrin's smile melted away into cool calculation. If this didn't go right he could lose an opportunity for another pawn in his plans.

"I will speak with the child," Belno offered. "A little kindness could also turn her thoughts toward a favorable decision for us."

"It's decided then," Orga said quickly. He just wanted to be done with this conversation. "Now as to the sentencing of the father."

Lucy found herself in Hargeon. It was a small fishing town, but she was happy to find a magic shop. She wasn't so happy to find out it was only one. She managed to buy the little dog constellation key, but couldn't help feeling ripped off. A commotion up the street drew her attention. She followed the sounds of over excited girls out of curiosity. (I hardly need to go over the next few events.)

After an embarrassing moment with the charm spell, then feeding the two with no manners, Lucy found herself at the park. She purchased a Sorcerer's Weekly magazine. Even if she couldn't fulfill her dream, she could figure out what the next best move would be by keeping tabs on all prominent guilds. A rustle in the bushes drew her attention. The charm user from before popped out in front of her. "I've been looking for you," he smiled seductively.

"That's nice," Lucy flipped a page. She was doing her best to ignore him.

"I'm having a little get together on my boat this evening and I would love for you to join us."

Lucy let out a sigh. "I'm going to be honest with you," she said. "I think you're a creep for getting all the attention by using that charm spell you're wearing. Since it's weakness is knowledge it won't work on me."

"That's too bad," he spoke sadly. He noted the article that Lucy happened to have the magazine opened to. "A fan of Fairy Tail, huh? What if I told you I was a member of their guild?"

Lucy glanced up at him. "Are you serious?" she asked.

"Of course I am," he spoke easily. "You've heard of Salamander, the great fire wizard of Fairy Tail? That's me. If you join us on my boat this evening I can guarantee getting you into the guild."

Lucy closed the magazine with a resounding snap of the pages. "Once again I'm going to decline your offer," she stood. Lucy tucked the magazine under her arm and started walking away. "That is the last place where I should be right now." She left 'Salamander' looking flabbergasted at her blatant refusal.

Lucy stormed down the streets muttering under her breath. "I can't believe the nerve of that guy," she seethed. "Trying to bribe me to go to that party by telling me he's a member of Fairy Tail and can get me in." As she muttered she unknowingly passed by the guy and cat she had fed earlier.

"Did you hear that Natsu?" the cat asked.

Natsu stared after Lucy for a moment, wondering why she was mad if she wasn't going to bother with the guy. He then looked in the direction the boat was harbored. "Something doesn't smell right with that guy Happy." Natsu watched as young girl after young girl started boarding the boat. In fact, only young girls were boarding the boat. He was thankful that Luigi wasn't one of them.

"What if he did the same with those girls?" Happy wondered. "Promised to help them join Fairy Tail if they went to the party?"

"None of those girls are mages," Natsu pointed out.

"Isn't that worse then?"

"Let's go little buddy."

"Aye sir!"

Lucy just wanted to get out of that town as fast as possible. A creepy old man as persistent as that guy was spelled nothing except trouble. "He didn't even prove that he was part of a guild," she continued to seethe. "At the very least, if you're going to brag about something have the proof to back it up." She pulled out her keychain, admiring her two new friends. She had the keys she inherited, but she received the golden bull just before entering Hargeon and the little dog while in town. She had made the contract with Taurus on the spot, but the Little Dog took a back burner as she rushed away.

Lucy stopped walking as she looked at the silver key. "Maybe making a new friend will help calm me down." She pushed magic into the key to summon the spirit and begin making a contract with it. "I guess that finalizes things," Lucy put her notepad and pencil away. "Is it okay if I call you Plue?" The spirit nodded and Lucy immediately scooped him up to snuggle him close. "You can be my traveling partner." She then began walking again as she held onto her new friend.

This town was worse then the one he had come from. Thoma looked around him as he walked down the main street. Sure, things looked pretty and they put on a good show, but he knew what to look for. There were beggars in the darker parts of alleys. If they noticed him watching them they scurried away as if they were afraid he would do something to them. In some of the more trash filled alleys were children digging through said trash. He spotted a pair of boys fighting over a half-eaten and rotting apple. "Does no one look after them?" he growled to himself.

It was summer, so the kids were safe from the elements for now. Thoma wondered how many would survive the colder season though? This town was full of hypocrisy. A woman's flirtatious giggle drew his attention. A woman was plying her 'goods' to men coming out of a bar. Thoma let out a growl. How could the government ignore this? He understood the town was practically on the border, but that didn't excuse neglect by the authorities.

One of the drunk men was very unsteady on his feet. For being only early afternoon, he was wasted. Thoma watched him wobble too close to a fruit stand. The vender was nervous, trying to shoo him away. Taking a look back at the kids, they too were watching the drunk. An idea struck Thoma then. It might not have been the first time something like this happened since the kids were looking hopefully at the stall. With an unseen gesture of his fingers, Thoma caused a gush of wind to slam into the drunk. As expected the man completely lost all his balance. He fell right into the fruit stand, causing the merchandise to spill and roll all around.

A smile spread across Thoma's face as the kids all rushed forward with cheers. They each started picking up as much fruit as they could while ignoring the screeching Vendor. The kids ran away before the other vendors could help. Some had fruit laden in their arms, held between their chin and neck. Thoma laughed at the sight of one of the older ones carrying two bananas in his mouth. "Why didn't you stop them?" the vendor got in Thoma's face.

Thoma sneered at the man, causing him to take a step back. "I didn't see you doing much except yell at them," he pointed out. Thoma then glanced down at the man's extended belly. "Perhaps if you chased them you can get some of your goods back."

"I demand that you…"

Thoma got right in the man's face. "You demand what?" he snapped. "I've been where those kids are. You want some of that back you get it yourself. Although, they most likely know the best places to hide and you don't."

"You helped them," the vendor accused.

"The drunk was the one that fell into your stand. I was no where near him." Then vendor ground his teeth, but stomped away. He knew that Thoma wasn't close and that he was under no obligation to help stop the kids. Thoma let out a smirk as he walked past. Maybe staying in this town for a few days wouldn't be so bad. At least give the kids a little hope as he set some things up for them.

Mia stared at her reflection in the mirror. They were staying at an inn for the night and then Nico would head home. Mia was still undecided about what she wanted to do. For now, her only concern was how to get people to stop staring at her. The scars on her hands and arms were prominent in silvery tissue crisscrossing along her skin. Spending all day on the fields, she had a decent tan going. It seemed to make the scars stand out all the more. She wiped at a tear that fell down her cheek. She wasn't vain, but she didn't like people looking at her. What was worse was that she noticed a few kids pointing at her and asking their parents if she was a bad person.

Nico tapped on the door frame to the bathroom to get her attention. "I got you something," he said. "They didn't have something like this back home, but in this town you can hardly turn a corner without spotting some type of new fashion." He pulled out a shopping bag from behind his back.

Mia took it in curiosity. She opened the top and looked inside. There was a thin white fabric inside. "What is it?" she asked.

"Pull it out and see," Nico recommended.

Mia gently reached one hand in and pulled out two strips of fabric. She found each were cylindrical with a large opening, becoming thinner and then fanning out again with two other openings. One was really small and circular while the other was slightly bigger and oblong. She looked up at Nico, she still didn't understand. The fashion of cities wasn't something that she ever cared to keep up on. "Let me help you," Nico smiled. He took one of the pieces and gently opened the larger end. "Slide your arm up in there." Mia did as she was told. The fabric went all the way up to her elbow. On the small end her thumb passed through the small opening while the rest of her fingers all came out of the larger one. "They're fingerless gloves," Nico explained. "These ones are designed just for fashion in the summer. It's a light fabric so it won't over heat you. Best part is that they'll keep others from noticing your scars. Instead they'll notice your fashion sense."

Mia put the second one on her other arm. "They don't hide all of the scars," she noted.

"An inch is showing," Nico shrugged. "Only one or two lines at that. It's not as noticeable as all the other ones. When it gets to be winter you can wear heavier gloves. Or you can wear long sleeves like you used to and just wear normal gloves on your hands. They had all sorts of colors so you can mix and match with your shirts. I figured white was a pretty neutral color for now."

Mia rushed forward and wrapped her arms around Nico's waist. "Thank you Mister Rolf," she whispered. "I don't know what I would have done without you."

"It was my pleasure Mia," Nico sniffled. "Fate dealt you a bad hand. Everyone needs help getting pulled back up to the boat when the waves knock 'em over." A knock on the door pulled the two apart. "I wonder who that is." Nico went to answer the door.

Councilman Belno stood on the other side. "I hope that I'm not intruding?"

"Not at all Councilman," Nico opened the door further. "Please come in."

"Thank you," Belno walked gracefully through the doorway. "I'm afraid that I can't stay for very long." Her attention was then directed to Mia. "There is a matter of great importance that I need to speak to you about." The three of them sat at the small table in the room. "As I'm sure you've already wondered about, your magic isn't refined. Yet. Until you learn to control it your instincts will dominate how your magic reacts. This first time there were no serious repercussions, however that may change in the future. I've come to discuss two options that are available to you."

Belno removed some books from her requip space and put them on the table. "These are all the replica copies of books in the council library we have on barrier magic." Mia's eyes widened and she stared at them in fascination. "While we're not certain to what degree your magic can manifest, these will certainly be a good starting point. As they are replicas I'm willing to allow you to take them with you. Their cost will be deducted from the settlement you will receive."

"Settlement?" Mia looked towards Belno quickly.

"You didn't think that we would leave you with nothing, did you?" Councilman Belno gave her a small smile. "Your former family is to pay restitution to you for the manner with which you were treated. All medical bills will be their responsibility, they must pay you the worth of your property they destroyed as well as reimburse Mister Rolf for the money he spent of clothing and feeding you until now. We will need a list of the things you lost so that a proper estimate can be made. There is also a settlement being discussed for emotional damages that this has caused. The exact amount is still in discussion, but you and I will go to the nearest bank tomorrow and set up an account. They will be making payments towards the council so we can ensure they don't miss a payment. From there, we will place the jewels into your account that you may use whenever you wish." Mia nodded her head in wonder. This was more than she hoped for when she left town for the court.

"You said there was a second option," Nico reminded.

"The second option is to receive training from experts among the rune knights. As they are affiliated with the council we will be your sponsors for all your learning expenses. At the end of your training you will enlist as a fully-fledged rune knight."

Nico's eyebrows pinched together and his eyes narrowed. He worried for Mia before, now he was doubly so. He's heard both good and bad things about the council. If fate is kind, it wouldn't be a problem. Mia, however, had not been having luck with fate as of late. There had to be something behind the council's generosity. While he wasn't prejudice against mages or their political system they were still human. He found himself stuck, he could give his opinion to Mia, but he couldn't force her to turn them down. They weren't related and she was of age to make her own decisions.

"You said we would go to the bank tomorrow?" Mia asked for confirmation. Belno simply nodded her head. "In that case, may I give you an answer tomorrow? I'd like to look through the books a little first to see if they will help or not. It will also give me time to work on the list."

"That's fine with me," Belno stood. "I'll be back in the early afternoon tomorrow to bring you to the bank. I look forward to hearing your answer then." She turned back to look at the books and then at Mia with a smile. In a bit of magic she pulled out yet another book. "This one isn't about barriers. It's about requip space. It wouldn't hurt for you to learn this as well. Even a small bit of knowledge can prove useful, especially for people that travel a lot." She placed the book on the table with the others. Belno then left and the door closed with a soft click.

"That was the strangest reaction I had expected," Nico wondered. Mia waited for him to continue. "The kingdom is always looking for ways to get decent mages into their ranks. That second option you were given, you would have no choice except to join. The first option, you can study and learn on your own. Once you feel you've learned enough you can still do anything that you want. When she left, I think the councilman was urging you to study on your own."

"Wouldn't she want me to join the knights?" Mia asked.

"That all depends," Nico crossed his arms. "I've heard that guild mages are often self-taught or apprentice themselves under a master. They're often the go-to mages when things go real bad. That means the kingdom doesn't have faith in the strength of their own rune knights to get the jobs done."

"Where did you hear all this Mister Nico?"

"My kids left town, remember? They send me letters and pictures. Sometimes there's a big fight they hear about and then they write me. Wanting to make sure I'm alright I guess. But they're the reason why I'm not so prejudice against mages anymore."

"You used to be?" Mia stared at him with wide eyes.

"As bad as your pa," Nico agreed solemnly. "I regret it now. I'm thinking it might be best for me to move out of the town. I wrote a letter to each kid. They all agreed it was a good idea, I'm getting too old to tend the farm." He then started chuckling a bit. "They all offered me a place to stay with them too. Three different offers for a place to live." He then looked at Mia. "That also means we would have to split up. They regret not having space for you, but my daughter has started looking into finding you a spot close to us in case you need help."

"Please give her my gratitude," Mia smiled shyly. She flipped open the cover of the requip book. "But whether I choose to allow the council to sponsor me or not, I think that our paths go in different directions from here." Nico stared at Mia as she started skimming the book.

Slapping his hands on his knees, Nico stood from the table. "I guess I'll go find us some dinner to eat in," he announced. "To give you as much time to look over those books to make an informed decision as possible." Mia nodded her head absently and he left the room.

After walking for another few hours Lucy stepped off the main road. Plue made a little noise in confusion. "Just looking for a place to camp," she said. "I don't want to be noticeable from the road while I sleep, but I don't want to be in the open either. Did you know that old pine trees serve just as good as any tent if not better?" Plue shook his head in answer 'no'. "Their pleasant smell helps humans fall asleep, but it also masks the scent of the human from would be predators. Then there's the way the branches hang down and overlap each other. If it rains a majority of the water is kept away from the trunk. A few drops might happen hear and there, but depending on the amount of rain we can stay mostly dry."

Lucy walked around the forest for a few minutes before she found a pine tree that's branches were touching the ground. It completely covered all sight of its trunk. Taking a peek under the branches showed that there were no large creatures there already. In fact, the number of dead needles suggested that this was a free zone for Lucy to spend the night. "I had to sneak survival books from the library at night," Lucy broke the silence. "As late as I could I would read how to survive in the wilderness. They were mostly books in case a person got lost, but it also comes in handy to save money. After all the money I spent in the last down I doubt I could afford a room when I make it to the next town."

Lucy pulled a blanket out of her satchel and spread it on top of a nice pile of dead pine needles. "These will help keep me off the ground and away from any moisture the soil has absorbed." She sat on the blanket, but left her boots on. "Something may crawl in my boots overnight. Most likely I'll forget to check and that could be really bad. So, it's just better to leave them on for my peace of mind."

Once she was settled Lucy grabbed a food bar from her satchel and ate half of it. She wrapped it back up carefully and tightly before putting it in the satchel. "Best to conserve food too," she added. "I'll finish the rest for breakfast tomorrow." She then looked down at Plue with a fond smile. "So, this is where I'll say 'goodnight'." Plue made a noise and waved his hand. "I enjoyed walking with you Plue, have a good night." The small spirit then disappeared in a shower of golden sparkles. Lucy lay back, using her satchel as a pillow and attempted to go to sleep. The temperature was still warm enough that she didn't worry about exposure quite yet.

It didn't take Thoma long to find an abandoned home. It was a little cut off from the main part of town. A quick inspection on his part showed scorch marks and other signs of a fight. Given the different variety of damage, it had to have been done by mages. With this knowledge he abandoned the house as well. It wouldn't be in the best interest of the children to leave them with a fixed-up home only for it to be attacked. It was clear the town would be giving no help to whoever would be foolish enough to move in. The search for a place for the kids to stay each night continued.

Thoma spent the whole day looking into places on the outskirts of town and even venturing into the surrounding woods. There was nothing suitable for his needs. The places he stumbled upon after the first house were either too far neglected or already had residents of an unsavory nature. He turned his attention towards the center of town. That's where most of the homeless seemed to seek shelter anyway. The best parts were already taken over by the adult homeless and they weren't willing to share when Thoma approached them with the idea.

Nearly giving up for the day Thoma looked towards the setting sun. The sound of running water drew his attention. Knowing there wasn't a river or creek nearby he was curious as to the source of outside water. He came to the opening of the sewer drainage system. The grate over the opening was still fully there, but it was worn. Nose crinkled in disgust, Thoma pulled a corner open and ventured inside. He got in a little distance before the light from the opening could no longer give him a full view. Thoma turned around and headed for the only inn in town, which also served as the bar.

Entering the bar, Thoma counted at least six men already well past the point of being drunk to being nearly passed out drunk. Given the events from the morning he wasn't too surprised to see this. He went up to the bar to see the typical bartender wiping down probably the same glass he always did. "How much for a room for one night?" he asked.

"A thousand jewel," the burly man grunted. "No room service," he also growled out. "You want food, you eat down here."

"Just the room," Thoma put the jewel down. He shuddered at the thought of having anything from this place. The bartender dug under the bar and pulled out a key. Without any ceremony he tossed the key to Thoma and continued to wipe down the glass. "I feel so welcome," Thoma rolled his eyes. He looked at the key, which thankfully had a number on it. With any luck it corresponded with a door upstairs.

His room was directly above the main part of the bar. All the noise filtered in from the floor boards. "This is going to be a long night," Thoma groaned. He scrunched his nose at the filthy conditions of the room. "Maybe staying in the sewer would have been cleaner."

Lucy woke from sleep naturally. She gave a stretch and slowly sat up. A quick check of her belongings showed that nothing had come to disturb her. She grabbed her left overs from the night before and quickly finished it off. She folded the blanket and moved things around in her satchel so it was on the bottom. Tucking the trash away from breakfast with a promise to properly dispose of it once reaching another town Lucy began to make her way out from under the tree branches. Sun light was shining down in the forest. It gave a peaceful atmosphere along with the morning song of birds in the air. It gave Lucy the feeling that she had made the right decision in not only leaving her home, but also in not attempting to join Fairy Tail. She would only endanger those around her once her father began searching for her.

Taking a breath, Lucy summoned Plue back for company. "Do you think you can help me find fresh water?" she asked. "I've used up all the water that I had." Plue gave the affirmative and started skipping through the trees. He led Lucy to a small stream. "Thanks again Plue," she gushed. "You're the best." She pulled a small pot and heating lacrima from her satchel. Filling the pot with water she put it on the lacrima and let it heat. While she waited for the water to boil she stripped out of her dirty clothes. Dipping a toe into the water she shivered at the temperature. "A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do," she groaned. Taking her dirty clothes she washed them and herself quickly in the water.

When she was finished she hung her clothes to dry while changing into her only spare set of clothing. By this time the water in the pot was boiling. Lucy took it off the heat and set it aside to let it cool. She then spent some time playing games with Plue to pass the time. When her clothes were finally dry she folded them and put them away in her satchel. Taking her small canteen, she poured a good amount of the water she boiled into it. The rest that wouldn't fit she dumped back into the stream. After putting away the rest of her gear she picked Plue back up and headed for the road. With his help it didn't take long to find where they had left off. The two then started the journey towards the next town.

Thoma left the inn as soon as he could. It was true he was hungry, but he could get something from the stalls before someone had an 'accident'. He was looking forward to something other than bread and cheese. The stalls were busier in the small hours of daylight. Women dressed worlds better than the ones in the afternoon carried baskets as they went from stall to stall. Thoma briefly wondered if they knew what their men were up to in the afternoon and evening time. Spotting a younger woman with a bruise on her cheek duck her head and move along gave him his suspicions. The men here were trying to bring their own version of Pergrande to Fiore. Not liking the idea, but still needing to eat, Thoma purchased a pastry from the stand in front of the bakery. He ate it as he took in how meek the women were towards men and each other.

Promising himself not to let this go, Thoma went to a shop that advertised lacrimas. He purchased the smallest lighting lacrima there. He wanted to save as much of his jewel as he could. While a lighting lacrima is useful, it's not exactly a need over a want. Taking his new purchase, he headed back to the sewers. Before entering he tied the cloth Teacher had used to cover the bread and cheese around his mouth. It wouldn't filter all of the smell, but at least it would be a little better.

For being the sewer of a smaller town, the waterways were massive. Thoma considered himself tall at 6'1" and he didn't need to duck under any of the archways he passed through. Which also caused him to wonder who would put archways in the sewer. Just ten minutes from the exit Thoma found a once solid oak door. Moisture from the water had taken its toll and it was clearly starting to rot. This worked in favor for him since he was able to wedge it free from the doorway. Stepping inside, Thoma found a barren room. It was surprisingly dry, perhaps protected by the door. The webs of spiders was a little thick, but Thoma made quick work of that with a gesture of his hand. Sending the debris out the way he came Thoma finished the spring cleaning in a manner of seconds.

Now that the room was clean, Thoma was able to get a good look. Frames were in place for several beds. Some of them were bunk beds and others simple twin sizes. There were shelves that looked like it could have been used for provisions. A section in the back corner had a wall partition separating it from the rest of the room. Out of curiosity Thoma checked there next. Looking around the corner showed a stone seat with a hole in it. Looking down the hole Thoma saw some running water. It was a crude use of indoor plumbing, but effective. The only thing this room lacked was a fireplace for cooking and heating. Now with a plan in place, thanking his luck as he left, Thoma left the sewers. In the back of his mind he wondered about the room and wanted to look up if there was information about it.

Mia spent the morning practicing her requip space. Once she opened it she couldn't put it down. Nico forced her to stop practicing to at least have breakfast and then lunch. As they were waiting for Councilman Belno to return, Mia concentrated all her attention on mastering her space before the she arrived. She only managed to get in another hour before Belno was knocking on their door. Mia asked to meet Belno in the lobby of the inn and she would be right down.

Mia turned to Nico once the door closed. She hugged him for all she was worth. "I guess this is where we say goodbye," she sniffled. "I can't thank you enough for everything that you've done for me."

"You're safe," Nico answered. "That's all the thanks that I need. Besides, I gave you the address of my oldest. I'll be staying with him for a little until I decide if I want a small place of my own or not. I expect you to write to me and tell me all about the adventures you'll have. I especially need to know about the people you'll meet."

"Still going to worry about me?" Mia asked.

"It's my job," Nico shrugged. With one last hug, Mia placed the books in her requip space that now housed all the clothes she brought with her. "I'll keep your other things in storage. When you're in the neighborhood you stop by and collect them. This will give us an excuse to see each other again." Mia gave Nico a shaky smile and ducked out of the room. Nico let out a sigh. "Even when they're not your own children it never gets any easier."

Belno and Mia walked the city streets to the bank. The manager was more than happy to greet the two of them. He bent over backwards for the councilman, offering refreshments and setting up the best accounts that he could. Belno waved away all of his gestures. His actions were the main reason she always sent her employees on errands like this. Mia's situation, however, needed to have the bank realize she had the full support of the council. To send an employee to do this wouldn't have impressed that idea into their minds as much.

Bored, Mia was so overwhelmingly bored with the whole banking process. It was tedious and just mind numbing. Two hours they had wasted, in her opinion, setting up an account for her that would work to the council's specifications. Of course, Belno was the one to do all of the talking, Mia was just there to sign her name. Mia was shocked that the bank account would start with two hundred thousand jewel in it. "That's half the settlement," Belno explained. "The council paid that directly to you. Now your former family will be making restitution to the council for that as well. This way you'll have what you need to start out."

"I can't thank you enough for all that you've done to help," Mia bowed. "But with my family having to pay so much, they'll have to sell the property."

"There's no need worry about that," Belno gestured for her to stand. "It was their actions that caused you undue stress and turmoil. They're the ones that wronged you, not the other way around. It's also my pleasure to look out for aspiring young mages. Helping to guide them on a path to better themselves and help the community around them. Which brings me to the next topic. Have you decided what you want to do from here?"

Mia stopped and faced Belno. "I gave it serious thought last night as I studied," she said. With a flip of her hand, the requip book was there. "I'm surprised I was able to use magic on my own so quickly."

"I'm not," Belno took the offered book. "You have a tremendous amount of magical talent inside of you. From the events that you described, all of us in the council can sense that your magic is just getting warmed up. We haven't seen everything that you'll be able to do by a great deal."

"Considering how easily it was for me to learn requip magic on my own…" Mia took a breath as she paused. "I think I would like to try learning and studying in my own time. If it becomes too difficult for me to master will the offer of the council being my sponsor still be on the table?"

"I'll make sure of it," Belno agreed. "I do have to return, but I wish you the best of luck Mia Barden."

"Thank you, Madam Councilman," Mia started to walk away. She turned back to her with a smile. "For everything." She then made her way to the train station, a bounce her step.

"It was my pleasure," Belno said to no one. "I hope you master your magic on your own child. There's something stirring I can't put my finger on and I would not want you caught in the middle of it."


	3. Meeting

I don't own Fairy Tail or any of the characters. I don't own the Pradesh Family characters or the idea of Bosco or White Sea, those are Desna's brilliant brain children. I do, however, own Mia and Thoma.

 **For those with questions in regards to how some things are done, please read the AN at the bottom.**

 **Seeking Sunrise**

 _Chapter Two: Meeting_

After leaving the Council Headquarters, Mia found herself in Shirotsume Town after spending two days train hopping. A large mansion on top of a hill overlooking the town could be seen from nearly every street. Mia entered a clothing store that looked like it had some decent clothing without breaking the bank. She sorted through the clothes on the rack. The work t-shirts that Nico had provided for her were sort of out dated in the modern towns and cities. They were fine for sleepwear, but going from day to day business left her a little embarrassed. People would look at her with strange looks, but kept their opinions to themselves.

Mia's face split into a grin when she saw a shirt that caught her eye. "That's one of our newer fashions." Looking to her left, Mia noticed a sales clerk there. "That particular style of shirt is known as a 'cold shoulder'." The sales clerk started sifting through the rack as well. She pulled out three others 'cold shoulder' shirts, each a different color. She glanced at Mia's complexion and replaced the yellow shirt. In its stead she pulled out a bluish green shirt. The four colors held between the two of them were lavender, in Mia's hands, while the clerk held a fuchsia, corn flower blue and green/blue shirt. "You can start to try these ones on while I look in the back to see if we have any other colors or patterns." She motioned Mia in the direction of the changing rooms and turned towards the back.

In the changing room, Mia put the lavender shirt on first after removing both her gloves and shirt. It looked really good on her. Loose enough to not hinder her movements while she trained, but just tight enough to emphasize her curves. She frowned at the sight of the scars once again. The white gloves wouldn't go well with the lavender shirt. She changed it out for the blue shirt and added the gloves. This set matched far better. Mia then blinked at the sleeve line. The bottom portion of the sleeve was long enough to just cover the scars that peeked out from the top of her gloves. Between the two of them, it hid everything from that accident. Mia was officially sold on this type of shirt. Now all she had to do was increase her collection of gloves. She put her t-shirt back on before leaving.

Stepping out of the fitting room the sales clerk was waiting from Mia. In her hands she held several other styles of 'cold shoulder' shirts. "If you'd like to try these on I can go find some pants and shorts that match their style." Mia nodded her head absently as she accepted the shirts. She stepped back into the fitting room. Other styles included one that had white, pink and dark brown arranged in a diamond patter with the brown forming a Celtic like design in the front. The bottom portion of the sleeves were open with a string that tied to hold them closed. Not ideal for hiding the upper most scars, but Mia still liked it. The second was a blue and brown splash motif shirt. The sleeves went past her elbows, but still charming. There was a long-sleeved burgundy one that Mia fell in love with even though it was still summer. There was one with pink flowers that was actually a halter top neckline with off the shoulder sleeves. Another one that Mia could see becoming a favorite. A dark blue, black and white floral, plum, and other solid colors that went in the 'yes' pile. The 'no' pile wasn't quite as large, but it did have a leopard print among its choices.

A knock on the fitting room door told Mia that the sales clerk had arrived with the new clothing items. "Have you chosen which shirts you like?" she asked. Mia nodded towards her 'yes' pile. "Then I'll take these ones back." The clerk left a pile of folded leggings on the bench and picked up the small 'no' pile.

"How do you know my size?" Mia asked.

"I've been in business for twenty-five years," the now revealed owner said. "I can tell your size by the way you walk and turn. It's a hobby of mine to help ladies find clothing that flatters them the most and you looked so lost when you first came in." Mia nodded in understanding and the owner left for her to try on the leggings. The leggings were just as diverse. Ranging from one solid color to floral print, tie-dye and zig zags. Mia chose enough leggings and shirts to last her for two weeks before needing to do the wash. The next thing that she would need would be a nice pair of boots that would basically go with everything, maybe two or three. She just didn't want boots for every outfit.

After changing back into her normal clothes, she picked the shirts and leggings that she was definitely going to purchase. She walked over to the shoe section with her arms laden with clothes. She silently wished she had something to help carry them all with. She placed the clothes down on a bench that was used to try on shoes. Mia then glanced at all the different styles that they had to chose from. She finally settled on a pair of ankle high sand colored boots with three buckles across the front. They were beyond comfortable. It was a little surprising to Mia since they were so nice looking. The store owner arrived at that point. "Did you find everything you were looking for?" she asked.

"Almost," Mia admitted. She held out her arms to show the gloves. "I was wondering if you had a selection of summer gloves like these?"

"I'll admit, I don't really know." The store owner went silent as she thought. "Most of our gloves are geared for cold, but they're in storage right now. You could see if the tailor can make you some gloves while you're in town." She led Mia to the front where she could start ringing up the sale. The total came to four hundred jewel. Mia pulled out her purse from her requip space. "You're a mage," the owner was surprised.

"Yes," Mia said shyly. She started to worry she had done something wrong.

"Give me just a second." The owner started doing more calculations on her register. "This town has a good relationship with mages. I've hired a few in the past myself. They've always helped me. So I give some mages a discount when they buy from me. It's not a discount I advertise though, I'd go bankrupt in a month. Your new total is three hundred jewel." Mia blinked, but accepted the new price gratefully and handed the owner the correct amount of money. "I hope that you have a safe journey." Mia waved as she walked out the door.

As she was looking around for someplace to eat a loud explosion had her ducking and covering her ears. The ground shook and several people cried out in alarm. Mia glanced up and noticed that she couldn't see the mansion on the hill. There was nothing except billowing smoke. "That came from Everlue's mansion," she heard someone say. A crowd started to head in that direction. Out of curiosity, Mia followed. A boy with pink hair around Mia's age was laughing with a strange blue cat that walked on two legs. They were talking about how the mission was a success, knowing that a book was destroyed. They seemed to be bragging that they were the ones responsible for the destruction of the mansion.

Mia took a step back in fear. If these two decided to go after anyone there wasn't anything she could do about it. She was still a novice, just barely able to bring her magic out on purpose. As her foot came down it stepped on something strange. Mia looked down to see something shining in the grass. She picked it up, thinking it was too shiny for a rock. A golden key greeted her. She glanced back towards the mansion. She assumed that it must have come from there. A strange sensation was coming from the ring though. It felt warm and tingly like her arm had been asleep. Deciding that she needed to find a magic shop and ask them she put it into her requip and headed back to town. She was thankful the two didn't notice her.

Lucy looked around the town she and Plue found themselves in. The people were avoiding each other and the venders were looking angry. Whenever a man that looked drunk got too close to their stands they would rush to block them from getting too close. There were dirty children in ratty clothes poking their heads around building corners like they were waiting for something. Lucy could only take in everything in confusion. She wondered why everyone was acting so strange. She didn't have to wait too long to get her answer. A drunk man that the vendors hadn't noticed fell hard into the bread stand. The vendor let out a cry of dread just as the children rushed forward. The bread that fell on the ground was soon gone, carried off by the eager children.

Lucy glanced up to the roofs. She had felt someone use magic as soon as the drunk tripped. A man was on the roof, watching the kids make it to safety. He stiffened when he noticed that Lucy was staring at him. Lucy felt a rush of wind and he was gone. "A wind mage," she concluded. She glanced back to where the kids had been. "Were they homeless?" She couldn't fault the mage for helping the kids if that was the case. Now everyone was in an even worse mood. She started to head back out of town, it was giving her very bad vibes.

"Should we find a place to camp or continue on a little Plue?" Lucy asked.

Before Plue could answer another voice spoke up. "Why didn't you give me away?"

Lucy turned to see the man she had spotted on the roof. "Why would I do that?" she asked. "You were practicing your magic, accidently lost control and the man tripped. He was drunk so I doubt he felt anything. Some kids got a meal out of it. I didn't see the big deal."

The man gave a huge smile in response. He opened his mouth to talk when the sound of thunder in the distance could be heard. "That's not good," he groaned. "I don't recommend you get a room at the inn, it's not clean. I have a place that I've been fixing up." Lucy glared at him for the suggestion. He held his hands up in a peace gesture. "I promise that I'm not up to no good. My name is Thoma, by the way."

"I'm Lucy and this is Plue," she responded.

"It's nice to meet you," Thoma said. "Yes, my wind caused the man to trip. I've been doing it everyday that I've been here. Those kids need some help if they're going to survive on the streets. There's no orphanage in this town to take them in. They need the help and we need to take shelter." Thoma turned to walk away. He gestured over his shoulder for Lucy to follow.

Following behind Thoma reluctantly, Lucy held Plue tighter to her chest. She had to cover her nose as Thoma led her through the sewers. "You've been staying in here?" Lucy asked in astonishment.

"It gets better," Thoma said knowingly.

"How?"

Thoma remained silent as he kept going. It wasn't long before they came across a reinforced door. "I had to make some adjustments," he started explaining. He pulled a latch and the door swung open. He gestured Lucy inside before following himself. "Don't want it open too long, or the stink will start coming in here again."

When the door closed Lucy was able to breathe without the smell of waste violating her nose. "How were you able to keep the smell out?" Lucy asked.

"The ceiling is vented," Thoma explained. "I had to clear out the vents and it took a little time to get the air flow going again, but it works."

"So who built it?"

"Don't know," Thoma shrugged. "The best that I can figure is that it was initially designed as a bunker of some kind. What for and how long ago I have no idea. It might have even just been built for simple storage. But I like my bunker idea better, makes it sound cool." Lucy rolled her eyes at the obvious attitude a boy would have. "You had questions for me?"

Lucy stood straighter when the topic was brought back to their initial meeting. "You made that guy trip and fall into the stand on purpose," she stated. Thoma nodded his head in confirmation. "Why did you do that?"

"You must have seen those kids waiting around," Thoma watched Lucy nod. "I did it for them. I've been watching them as best I can since coming to this place. Little turkeys are good at hiding though. Anyway, I've noticed that they're basically homeless. To top it off, they're all either orphans or abandoned to fend for themselves."

"Why doesn't this town have an orphanage to care for them?"

"I'd use the term 'town' loosely here," Thoma sneered. "The adults, specifically the men, seem to be only one step away from being as depraved as Pergrande." Lucy sucked in a breath at the mention of the worst country she's ever heard of, in her opinion. "The women are treated horribly and the children are forced to fend for themselves. The older ones might be fine for now, but I worry what will happen to the younger ones when winter sets in."

"Can't you get the authorities involved?" Lucy asked.

Thoma shook his head at that. "Even if I trusted them," he started. "I had to leave my home town because a bunch of punks accused me of attacking them for no reason. Authorities took their side because I'm an orphan myself. There's no love lost between us. If you feel like they could help, then by all means."

Lucy let out a hesitant laugh. "Yeah, I'm not going to be able to call them either. I kind of ran away from home." Thoma stared at her for a minute. Lucy hoped that, since he was an orphan, he wouldn't accuse her of running from a home or family that loved her.

After a minute of silence Thoma shrugged his shoulders. "To each their own," he said. A smile then stretched across Thoma's face. "How about helping me out then?"

"Helping with what?" Thoma then explained to Lucy his plan to get the kids settled into the 'bunker' and set up for the winter.

Mia spent another two days in Shirotsume as she waited for the tailor to finish making the gloves that she needed to complete her outfits. There was gossip going around that there was a town north of them with a dark mage was harassing the citizens. Mia had been studying and practicing for her magic since she had nothing better to do while she waited for the tailor. She stopped to listen more closely when the gossips talked about the town's desperation. "I heard the mayor is looking for a mage that can help get rid of the problem," a woman whispered. "But he's having trouble finding someone. Hiring from a guild is too expensive for the town."

Mia paused in thought at that. Maybe she should stop by the town to see if it's something that she could help with. She needed the first-hand experience with her magic anyway. She decided that after she got her order from the tailor that she would head out. 'Unless it's the end of the day,' Mia thought. 'Then I'll head out first thing in the morning.'

The evening came and went with no word that her order was complete. The following morning, as Mia was walking towards the inn exit, the innkeeper called out to her. "The tailor stopped by last night," she said. "It was so late that I didn't want to bother you. Your order is finished and you can go pick it up when the shop opens."

"Thank you for letting me know," Mia smiled. "I really appreciate it."

"No trouble dear. Will you be staying again tonight?"

"I don't think so," Mia shook her head. "I've been waiting for that order before leaving. As soon as I get it I'll be heading out." With a final wave she stepped out of the inn. Mia grabbed a pastry from the nearby bakery for breakfast before heading to the tailor's shop. She got there just as the tailor was opening up for the day.

"Good morning," the tailor greeted. "I see that you got my message."

"Yes," Mia agreed. "Thank you for finding a way to let me know."

"I've enjoyed working on this project," the tailor smiled. "It's simple in concept and execution. But being able to make several different pairs and using different colors was what held my interest." The tailor looked at the gloves that were currently covering Mia's arms. "Is this something that you're going to be wearing all the time?"

"I won't step out for the day without them," Mia grinned. She didn't explain anything further than that. The tailor didn't need to hear her sob story and she really didn't want to have anyone know how horrible her arms looked.

The tailor let it go and pulled Mia's order out from behind the counter. Mia sifted through the different pairs of gloves. The colors, length and style all matched what she wanted. "I'll go try a pair on," Mia stated. She disappeared around the corner towards the fitting room with the blue pair before the tailor could protest. Although it did leave him wondering why she didn't just switch the pair out there. It wasn't like she would be exposing anything scandalous.

Mia came back a minute later, white gloves back in place. "They fit perfectly," she beamed. She set the jewel that she and the tailor had agreed upon originally when she requested the job. "I'll be sure to tell anyone that asks about them where they can have them made." Mia took the box and was out the door. The tailor rubbed his chin in thought, thinking that having them as an option for already on display clothing would be a good idea.

Mia stopped long enough to sort the gloves in order before placing them in her requip space. She disposed of the box properly before starting towards the town in the north. If the rumors were true she might get some first-hand experience as a mage. If they weren't, then she would just get some traveling done and see new sights. It wasn't like she had anywhere she had to be after all.

It was early afternoon by the time Mia made it to the town. She blinked at the sight, it was a far cry from Shirotsume Town. The streets were filthy, she could smell the garbage from the alleys. The women shied away from her when she tried to ask for directions to the mayor's house. Going to one of the vendors she asked them as she bought some fruit for her lunch. "What, you have any need to see someone so important?" the vendor sneered.

Mia leveled her own glare on him, not blinking. Her steady glare unnerved him and he looked away first. Mia smirked to herself as she thought getting into blinking contests with her younger siblings had payed off. "I'm a freelance mage," she explained. "I heard a rumor that you needed help. If I'm mistaken then I'll just be on my way."

"W-Wait," the vendor called as Mia started walking away. He finally gave Mia the directions that she was looking for.

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" Mia walked away from the vendor with a condescending look. She couldn't stand men with a 'holier than thou' attitude. She didn't have far to reach the mayor's home. It was by far the best looking building in town. Mia glanced between it and the other buildings in the area. There was definitely something suspicious about this whole set up. After telling the timid maid who she was and why she was there she was escorted to the office.

The mayor was more than just heavy set. Mia had to wonder how he became mayor at all when it seemed he was more concerned with his lunch. That's exactly the scene that she came into. The man's desk was free and clear of paperwork, but covered in heavy set foods that were clearly not designed to maintain a healthy diet. The man was doing a rather fine job of putting the food away. "Excuse me sir," the maid spoke quietly. "This mage heard a rumor about our problem in the market."

The mayor finally looked up from his plate. He looked Mia up and down like one would appraise a steer or horse. Mia would know, she's done it a few times. Her eyes narrowed as the man licked his lips. "I don't need a girl to solve the problem," his greasy voice announced. "Only men can be trusted with this job. But I wouldn't mind if you wanted to work for me elsewhere."

"And we're done," Mia turned on the ball of her foot. She walked out the door with her shoulders back and her head high. She blatantly ignored the grease ball calling her attention back to him. She sneered when she heard him trying to buy her 'work'. "I should just crush this building," she muttered. She paused as the thought took hold. "Nope, bad idea." She shook the thought out, as tempting as it might be. She did want to work more on a barrier that shrinks it's size, but not if it would make her pay for property damages.

Mia was just coming back into the market when it happened, a drunk pushed into a stall. Mia felt the gush of wind on her face, wind that hadn't been there all day. Children rushed out to grab up the spilled goods, hoarding their precious treasure as they ran from the panicking vendors. A small child caught her attention because it appeared pale, and naked. Looking closely, Mia realized that it wasn't a child. She just couldn't tell what it actually was. It stopped next to a small girl that hadn't managed to get food because a vendor managed to toss her away. The small creature patted her knee gently to get the girl's attention. Once it was clear she was watching the creature held out one of the loafs of bread it was carrying. The girl slowly reached out for the food, almost like she was sure that it was playing a trick on her. Once the food was in the girl's grasp she grinned, pat the creature on the head, then ran off to eat.

Mia had to wonder at the sight. The children were dirty and they seemed malnourished, but they had energy. It was like they were starting to bounce back from not having regular meals. The creature continued it's way out of town. Following at a distance, Mia was beginning to come to her own conclusion about the 'dark mage' of the town. Mia scrunched her nose when the creature walked into the sewer opening just outside of town. Still, if she wanted answers she had to follow it. With a shudder, Mia walked into the sewer. She came to a door, guessing that's where the creature went. She put an ear to it to listen, fighting her gag reflex at the smell.

"Good job Plue," she heard a female voice. "Thoma said that you gave food to one of the kids that wasn't able to get any. I'm so proud of you." She heard a high pitched sound, assuming that it was the creature that this woman called Plue.

"He's shorter than all the other kids so the vendors didn't notice him taking the bread right off the stall and not from the ground," a male laughed. "That spirit of yours is a little trickster. He might have a future in pick-pocketing."

"Absolutely not," the female argued. "While taking food to help those poor children is one thing, blatantly stealing from people is another. I won't ask any of my spirits to do something like that."

Mia opened the door as quietly as she could to face whatever was in the room. She saw one man and one woman along with the small creature. The creature was being smooshed into the woman's substantial chest. "I think the mayor would deserve it." She shut the door behind her as the group snapped to attention and faced her. "He seems like he could spare a few thousand jewel."

"Who are you?" the woman asked.

"Sorry for barging in," Mia held up her hands. "I was in the next town over when a rumor reached me about a dark mage terrorizing this town."

The male started laughing, loudly. "It's not funny Thoma," the woman argued. "This could be bad for our reputation."

"You worry too much Lucy," Thoma still laughed.

"Okay," Mia interrupted them. "I think, since I know both of your names, I should tell you mine." The two looked at her in confusion. "If you wanted to keep your names secret you shouldn't have called them out." Lucy at least had the decency to blush in embarrassment. "So, my name is Mia and I came here to help get rid of a 'dark mage'."

"And what do you think of said 'dark mage'?" Thoma asked.

"I haven't seen one yet," Mia shook her head. "Anyway, I had a meeting with the mayor to talk about the possible job. It didn't go very well."

"How so?" Lucy was curious.

"Let's just say that I hate dealing with chauvinistic pigs. Not only was this one some of the worst, but he's obviously taxing the people to death. His is the only building not in disrepair and he's very well fed while everyone else is either getting just enough or not enough."

"Must be pretty bad," Thoma started talking. "I first walked into this town a week and a half ago. Right away I could tell it was in bad shape. I wanted to help the kids. They have no one to take care of them and make sure they're fed. Not to mention no decent place to sleep at night. That's when I started tripping a drunk every day. The debauchery of this town is at least good enough for me to count on one drunk to get food to the kids."

"I came about two days ago," Lucy continued. "I haven't walked through the town any, but it didn't look good from what little I saw of it. I was just entering when Thoma did the tripping act. I could feel the magic he used and knew it wasn't something natural going on. The two of us met up and agreed that we would both help the kids."

"Why don't you call the authorities?" Mia asked.

"Why does everyone ask that?" Thoma rolled his eyes.

"If either of us was in a position to do that we would," Lucy explained.

Mia eyeballed the both of them. "Fugitives?" she asked.

"What? NO!" Lucy denied. She then looked at Thoma. "Well, not me at least."

Thoma let out a snort. "Protect orphans from spoiled, snot nosed brats and you get labeled as a fugitive."

"So why can't you call?" Mia asked Lucy.

"I kind of ran away from home," Lucy toed the floor in front of her.

"That means you're worried that if you called they would drag you back to your parents," Mia put the pieces together.

"My father, but yes, that's exactly what would happen." A dark look passed over Lucy's features. "I won't go back to somewhere I'm not wanted."

Mia let the subject drop at that. "I'll call them," she offered.

"Come again?" Thoma asked.

"I have a good standing with the magic council," Mia explained. "With everything that I've seen, I won't need to mention either of you to get them to come out and do an investigation." Mia pulled her com lacrima out of her requip space. "It might take them a day or two to get out here."

"You're calling the magic council?" Lucy asked in shock.

"Why not? The sleazy mayor propositioned a mage and offered to pay for 'services rendered'. Calls for action from them in my book." Mia poured a little magic into the lacrima as Lucy and Thoma ducked out of view.

A face came onto the screen. "Mia, I didn't expect to hear back from you so soon."

"Councilman Belno," Mia greeted. "I wish I could say this is a social call."

"What is it?"

"We've got a situation in the town north of Shirotsume. It's a bad situation councilman. I had heard that a 'dark mage' was terrorizing the people. When I came to investigate I found that the town is in a sad state and the people even more so. When I went to talk to the mayor about the rumor he offered to pay me, not for the job in regards to a dark mage, but for something of a more personal nature." Lucy and Thoma could hear the person on the other line suck in a breath. "He refused to offer me the chance to help in regards to the rumor based solely on the fact I'm a woman and he believes they're apparently only good for one thing."

Mia could see that Belno was looking off to the side. "You said north of Shirotsume." Mia nodded, though she knew it wasn't a question. "That's Thistle Town," Belno announced. "It's always been a bit of a black spot in Fiore history. The position of mayor is handed down rather than elected. I'll have someone sent out immediately. Will you be out there to meet him?"

"Of course," Mia readily agreed. "How soon can I expect him here?"

"As soon as he's ready."

"But that's…"

"He has teleportation magic. He'll be there quickly and begin his own investigation. The sooner it happens the less time the mayor has to prepare and hide the situation from us."

"I understand," Mia nodded.

"You did a good thing calling me Mia," Belno patronized. "The people need to be looked after." The two said their farewells and signed off.

"I have to head out," Mia put away the lacrima. "You two can wait here if you're more comfortable that way."

"We should help," Lucy said. "Our story will help shed some light on the situation for the investigator. If I beg nicely, he might not tell my dad where I am."

"I have no beef with the magic council or rune knights," Thoma shrugged. "Might as well give every effort to help the kids." The three made their way out of the sewer. Both Mia and Lucy took gasping breaths of fresh air. They had held their breath so they wouldn't have to breathe in the stink. Thoma rolled his eyes at their exaggeration.

The three walked towards the town entrance. A man stood there with his back turned to them as he stared into town. The only thing noticeable on him was he had a white cape. "Excuse me," Mia called out. The man turned to look at them. He was fairly tall and he kept his hair cut extremely short. "Were you sent by Councilman Belno?"

"I was," the man smiled at them. "My name is Doranbolt, and I'm here to investigate the state of the town." He glowed a bit and was suddenly in regular clothes. "You must be Mia Barden." He looked to the two behind her. "And who are your friends?"

"This is Lucy and Thoma," Mia introduced. "I just met them today."

Doranbolt nodded absently and started into town. "You can all wait here. I want to investigate this place on my own." He left the group to wonder on what he would find.

Two hours later, Doranbolt was heading back out of town. He stopped by the three waiting mages. "I've seen some shady things as an investigator," he started. "But the state this town is in…" He shook his head to rid himself of the images. "The smells permeating the air is enough to justify forcing the mayor out of office. Each town is given a fund for town upkeep. It's obvious that the mayor isn't using it as intended. That alone is a crime against the government."

"Fraud," Lucy spoke up. "It doesn't surprise me. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if you find several cases of fraud against the mayor."

"Correct," Doranbolt agreed. "We'll have a full-fledged team come in and sweep the town clean of it's bad history."

"What about the orphans?" Thoma asked. "Are you going to do anything about them?"

"There's no record of the town having orphans," Doranbolt said. He held up his hand for silence when Thoma went to argue. "It's not that I didn't see them. The mayor never reported the fact that there a great deal of homeless in this town along with the children. Steps will be taken to build proper shelters for all of them.

"I need to go make my report," Doranbolt explained. "As soon as I finished I'll come back with a team and we'll be getting started. It might take a few hours. If the three of you will stay long enough for me to get back I'm sure I can have a reward for you for discovering how bad the town is." Doranbolt left without another word.

"What do we do while we wait?" Lucy asked.

A grin spread across Thoma's features. "We explore!" The two women looked at him in question. They waited for him to explain, but he started heading back towards the sewer. "Come on," he called out to them. Both Mia and Lucy shared a look and a sigh. The two followed, grudgingly, back to the sewer and back to trying to fight the awful smell.

 **AN: I had Mia find Virgo's key instead of Virgo giving it to Happy. In the series Virgo gives it to Happy specifically to give to Lucy. If Lucy isn't with Natsu and Happy then Virgo has no reason to trust them with her key. That's why I had Mia find, so it will eventually find it's way into Lucy's care. We all know it was going to happen so that's not a spoiler. It's the 'how' I'll keep to myself.**


	4. Exploring Teamwork

I don't own Fairy Tail or any of the characters. I don't own the Pradesh Family characters or the idea of Bosco or White Sea, those are Desna's brilliant brain children. I do, however, own Mia and Thoma.

 **Seeking Sunrise**

 _Chapter Three: Exploring Teamwork_

"You want to do what? WHERE?" Mia stood her ground with her hands on her hips. "No, just…no."

"What's the big deal?" Thoma asked. "It's just the sewer."

"I think that's the big deal," Lucy put in. "I'm siding with Mia on this. That's the worst possible place to explore you could ever come up with. What could even possibly possess you to think that was a good idea?"

"Just hear me out," Thoma pleaded. "You two noticed the stonework, right?"

"No," both women said. "I was too busy trying not to pass out from the smell," Mia added.

"Women," Thoma rolled his eyes. "Okay, here's the thing… I think that this town was built over something big." The two gave him incredulous looks. "Don't look at me like that. Just listen: there are archways in the sewer. What kind of architect builds arches in a sewer?"

"One not concerned with cost over efficiency," Mia responded. "No one cares about arches in a sewer."

"That's my point exactly," Thoma reasoned. "What if that passage wasn't meant to be a sewer originally?"

"I'm listening," Mia moved her hands from her hips to cross her arms.

"It had better be good," Lucy and Plue mimicked the pose.

"The sewer goes even further, in a downwards slope after a certain point," Thoma explained. "I sent my wind down, waiting for the whiplash when it comes to a dead end."

"And?" Lucy asked.

"And nothing," Thoma shook his head. "There is no dead end, at least not before the wind dispersed. If it was just a narrow tunnel, with a small opening at the end, there would have still been some backlash for me to sense. There was just, nothing."

"What do you think you'll find?" Mia started calming down.

"At the very least, a large cavern. That's the only explanation for my wind to have dispersed like it did."

"What if you're wrong?" Lucy asked.

"Then we kill some time waiting for Doranbolt to get back." Thoma shrugged his shoulders, he really couldn't think of anything better to do.

"I better not get covered in whatever's down there," Lucy threatened.

"Ditto," Mia agreed. She pulled out a t-shirt and wrapped it around her nose and mouth.

"Do you happen to have another of those?" Lucy asked. She grinned and thanked Mia when one was produced for her. She did the same thing that Mia had. Thoma rolled his eyes, but didn't comment on it further.

"Are you two finally ready?" he asked. They both nodded slowly, not really wanting to go walking through the sewer. "Then let's go exploring." Thoma led the way into the sewer. Instead of going into the bunker he was fixing up he went past. Now he was going further into the sewer than he had ever been yet. After a few minutes he told his two companions that this is where the incline changed. Mia noticed that the holes for waste water to empty out had been getting less dense and the amount of sewer water they passed didn't seem as dense as well. Still didn't mean she was going to take the t-shirt off her face though.

After a few more minutes the runoff stopped completely. "The smell isn't so bad now," Thoma said. "You can take off the masks."

"I'll wait a little longer," Lucy declined. Mia only nodded her agreement.

The three continued to walk for an hour, using a lacrima light Mia had packed for guidance. Thoma, in the lead, stopped suddenly. The light ahead of him was doing something strange. He motioned for the girls to wait as he edged further ahead. "There's a cavern," he announced. "Just like I thought there would be."

Mia and Lucy moved closer towards him. They stood at the edge of the passage. The light bounced off of reflections here and there, but it didn't give any detail in which to decide if the cavern was empty or not. Thoma sent a gust of wind to see how it would act. "There's something in there," he announced finally.

"Like what?" Lucy whimpered.

"I have no idea," Thoma shook his head. "But, whatever it is, it's big."

Lucy squeezed Plue and looked down at him. "Maybe it would be a good idea for you to go home now," she said. Plue made a noise of agreement and disappeared in a sparkle of gold.

"What just happened?" Mia asked.

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked in return.

"How did Plue just disappear like that?"

"You mean that you don't know?" Lucy looked at Mia in wonder. Mia was looking at her in astonished confusion. "Plue is a celestial spirit."

"A what now?"

"What do you know of Celestial Spirit Magic?" Lucy asked.

"Nothing," Mia admitted. "I'm barely getting a grasp of my own."

"Okay, so I'm a Celestial Spirit Mage," Lucy explained. She reached to her side and pulled out her key ring. "These are gate keys." Mia's eyes widened at what Lucy was showing her. "There are many different types," she explained. "The silver ones vary a great deal and are the most common. Plue belongs to the constellation of the Little Dog. I also have the Clock, Harp, Southern Cross and Compass gate keys. Each one specializes in something different."

"What about the golden ones?" Mia asked in wonder.

Lucy eyed her, but continued her explanation. "The golden ones represent the twelve zodiac constellations. There's only one key made for each constellation. I have the Giant Crab Cancer, Golden Bull Taurus and Water Bearer Aquarius. Why?"

"I found an intricate key while I was in Shirotsume," Mia admitted. "At first I thought it came from the mansion that was blown up either as a key to a door that was no longer useful or it was a collectable." Mia then pulled something out from her requip space. A gold key rested in the palm of her hand.

"VIRGO!?" Lucy shrieked as she looked at the key. "You have the key of the maiden!? Why didn't you tell me!?"

"I didn't know what it was," Mia explained. "I'm still not familiar with all the different types of magic that's out there. I didn't know that there was a magic that literally used keys." She let Lucy take the key with a shaky hand.

"You should have felt the magic when you came in contact with it," Thoma pointed out.

"All I felt was my hand going to sleep with no reason at all," Mia said. Thoma just stared at her on the explanation. "That's what that was, magic?" Thoma nodded his head, still staring at her. "Okay, I have no experience with other magics. I've barely had my own magic a month."

This peaked Thoma's curiosity more than he would like to admit. He ignored Lucy in the background gushing over having a new friend to make a contract with. "How does that even happen?" he asked. "I've had my magic since I could walk. I'm pretty sure that Lucy is the same way."

"Well I'm not," Mia folded her arms. "It's not common, but it does happen from time to time where a latent magic ability awakens. The Council was more than helpful and informative when I needed it the most."

"Ignoring the fact that you trust a government body so readily," Thoma sighed. "I just don't understand how you go from not having magic to suddenly having magic."

"I come from a town that's only magic comes from the lacrima equipment needed to farm the surrounding landscape. No mages around at all, let alone a magic guild. Look, let's just say that it happened and I'm walkabout to gain new experiences and train my magic."

"Sounds like you have something to hide?"

"Don't you?"

"Fair point," Thoma turned his attention back to Lucy. "I'll tell you what, since you're so new to the whole thing I'll help you out. Train you in the things that I can. By the way, I've notice you use requip, is that your magic?"

"No," Mia admitted. "I was advised by a member of the council to learn requip since it would make traveling a lot easier. It also helps to keep thieves from pick pocketing anything valuable."

"Is that something everyone can learn?" Lucy rejoined the conversation.

"I don't see why they couldn't," Mia shrugged. "I don't have the book that I learned from, but I can try to teach you the basics if you like. Just the basics is enough to store simple things like clothes and some supplies. The larger your magic containers the more things you can store."

"I would really just like to store my keys," Lucy held up her key ring. "As a holder type mage, if someone were to take my keys from me I wouldn't be able to defend myself."

"Not a bad idea," Thoma agreed. "So, if not requip," his attention redirected to Mia, "what magic is it that you do use?"

"Barrier."

Both Lucy and Thoma blinked in surprise at that. "Like a shield?" Lucy asked.

"That's the impression that I get," Mia agreed. "I've been training as I travel and I've managed to form a barrier when I want to. All the books I have say pretty much the same thing in regards to it. The larger my magic containers the larger the barrier and longer time I can hold it out. There are also a few chapters on how to move the barrier or use it from a distance. But it all seems pretty dull to me."

"A barrier is awesome," Lucy argued. "You can directly protect the innocent or an injured team member with that type of magic."

"What else?" Mia countered.

"What do you mean?" Thoma was confused.

"I'm not satisfied with that being my role," Mia shook her head. "I know I can do so much more than the books say I can. I just need to train and concentrate more." She then cleared her throat and looked pointedly to the dark expanse in front of them. "Going back to the topic at hand, are we going to explore that 'something big' of Thoma's or are we heading back up?"

Thoma walked back to the edge. "It's a sheer drop from here," he said. "I estimate, maybe fifty feet. The cavern itself could probably hold the entire town. The roof is more than a few stories high."

"Is that a 'yes' or a 'no'?" Mia smirked.

"I can get myself down there no problem," Thoma explained. "But I've never actually tried to carry more than just myself with the wind. I could lose control and drop one or both of you."

"I'm alright with leaving this as a mystery," Mia started to head back.

"Hold on a second," Lucy stopped her. "We don't need to go down that way."

"What other way is there?" Thoma asked.

Lucy held up her new key. "The Zodiac's are famous for holding a variety of different types of magic. But that's really the only knowledge that's spread outside of those that have made contracts with them. I can make a contract with Virgo and find out if she has a way that could help us."

"Works for me," Mia shrugged. "It never hurts to at least ask, right?"

Lucy gestured for Mia and Thoma to stand back. Once they were a few feet away she turned her back to them and took a stance. "I call upon thee," she started chanting. "In the world of the celestial spirits." A golden magic circle lit up at Lucy's feet. "And now I beckon you to my side at once, pass through the gate!" The golden key in her hand started glowing. The key lifted from Lucy's hand and started spinning. Lucy caught it and made a slashing motion with it in her hand. "Open! Gate of the Maiden: Virgo!" A door bell chimed out of nowhere and a blue magic circle appeared in front of Lucy. The ground in the center of the blue circle burst and a woman with pink hair wearing a maid outfit and chains attached to her wrists appeared with a bow.

"You summoned me Mistress," her sweet voice sounded.

Mia eyed the maid in front of Lucy, specifically the chains. She took another step back, Thoma following suit once he put the pieces together. "Hello Virgo," Lucy was saying as she held a small notebook. "I was wondering if you would like to make a contract with me?"

"It would be my pleasure," Virgo bowed deeper.

"That's great," Lucy let out a cheer. "First off, there's no need to bow to me. I'm not your mistress, I want to be your friend."

"If that's what you would like Mistress."

"No, no," Lucy shook her head. "Don't call me mistress, we're friends now. You can call me Lucy."

"I couldn't possibly," Virgo stood straight. She looked her new keyholder up and down. Her sight zeroed in on the whip at Lucy's belt. "Then shall I call you Queen instead?"

"No," Lucy stated flatly. Thoma let out a shudder while Mia stifled a giggle.

"Then how about princess?"

"Now I like that," Lucy had a grin on her face.

"You've gotta be kidding me," Thoma groaned.

"To each their own," Mia shrugged. "Just leave me out of it."

"What are you two talking about?" Lucy snapped.

"Nothing!" they both called.

Lucy eyed them skeptically as she turned back to Virgo. "When are you available?" she asked.

"Whenever you wish to summon me," Virgo answered. "I'm a very loyal spirit and will do all that my keyholder wishes of me, including changing my appearance."

"What other appearance?" Thoma was curious. Suddenly Virgo's height and width doubled and she looked rather masculine.

"Change back! Change back!" Mia cried.

"I like the other form better," Lucy agreed. Virgo was suddenly looking like she did when she first appeared. "Never do that again," Lucy clutched her chest. The sudden and drastic change in Virgo's appearance had nearly given her a heart attack.

"Will that be all you wish of me Princess?" Virgo asked.

"Not yet Virgo," Lucy straightened out. "I still need to ask you what type of magic that you use."

"I use digging magic," Virgo answered.

"Now that's convenient," Thoma crossed his arms.

"Are you servants of the Princess?" Virgo asked.

"No," Mia and Thoma deadpanned.

"Virgo," Lucy interrupted the train of conversation. "Do you think that, with your digging magic, you could find us way down to the bottom of the cavern over there?"

Virgo looked over where Lucy indicated. "It would be my pleasure princess," Virgo disappeared in a hole directly under her feet. A few moments later she flew out of the hole with a bow. "I've finished making a way down princess. It should be easy enough for you to return once you're finished exploring."

"That's great Virgo," Lucy praised.

"It was my pleasure. Is it time for punishment?"

"Say what now?" Lucy blanked a moment.

"I knew it," Mia pointed at Lucy. "At first, I thought, maybe with the whip and all. Then again, you don't put off the air of someone like that. Then the first human-like spirit you summon is all in chains and dressed as a maid. Now she's asking for punishment. I knew you were a dom."

"I AM NOT!" Lucy shouted. "And Virgo, you can go home now."

"Of course, Princess," Virgo agreed readily. "Summon me when needed or for punishment."

"Just go home," Lucy whined. At Thoma's laughter she turned her anger on him. "This is not funny!"

"It's hilarious," Thoma disagreed.

"Let's just go," Lucy jumped into the hole.

Mia and Thoma stood there for a second. "How long do you think it will take until she finds out there's no light down there yet?" Mia asked.

A yelled 'I can't see' had the two of them grinning at each other. "Not long," Thoma smirked. He turned to Mia before jumping into the hole. "You do realize that she's not like that, right?"

Mia let loose a careless shrug. "I enjoy pushing people's buttons. Don't take that away from me." Thoma rolled his eyes and jumped down. Mia held the light lacrima to her chest as she jumped into the hole a few seconds later. Just as Virgo had said, the slope was steep enough to be able to slide down, but not so steep that they wouldn't be able to climb back up.

"It's about time," Lucy grumbled. "Who knows what's down here."

"Spiders," Thoma answered quickly.

"Let's just not," Mia interrupted him from further elaboration. "As long as I don't see them I'm perfectly fine completely ignoring their existence if they ignore mine."

"You guys need to see this," Lucy called out. She had taken a few steps away from the others towards the center of the cavern. Mia and Thoma followed after her to find a two-story building that seemed to have been cut from the center of the cavern. "It looks like the cavern was made and that building was cut out of the stone as they dug deeper down."

"That must have taken years," Thoma whistled.

"I suppose that all depends," Mia added. "If they had the right types of magic and tools, it still would have taken a long time, but probably not as long as you're imagining."

Lucy walked ahead of the two of them. There were carvings on the side of the entrance. Lucy took out her notebook and started making notes in the back. "It's an ancient language," Lucy thought out loud. "It doesn't seem native to Fiore though."

"How can you tell?" Mia asked.

"I'm familiar with most dead languages in Fiore," Lucy explained. "At least enough that I would be able to determine what region they're from. Given time I could eventually translate some of them. They all follow a similar pattern in their symbolism though. This one, there's a pattern, but it's not one that was used in Fiore."

"Think that you can place it?" Thoma asked.

Lucy stared at it as Mia brought the light closer to give a better view. "If I had to guess," Lucy mumbled. She pointed out a particular symbol. "This one closely resembles a symbol commonly seen in Stella. It can have a variety of meanings today. Anywhere from cluster, to dust or gathering."

"I'm not familiar with Stella," Thoma admitted.

"I learned a little in school," Mia said. She started to explain to Thoma as Lucy ignored them in favor of studying the writing. "They're a relatively peaceful country in the mountains."

"Isn't that harsh for farming?" Thoma was confused.

"It would be if that was their main resource," Mia agreed. "But Stella doesn't rely on farming. It does have a view plots of land where they grow food, but they do have a reason for being in the mountains. Stella's main trade export are light lacrimas, like this one. They can produce these faster than the other countries because the high altitudes allow the lacrimas to absorb not only more sunlight, but also being close enough to the stars to absorb their light as well. So, while it might take a month or two on average for a lacrima in any other country to absorb enough light to be useful, Stella's turn around for them is about a week."

"That's pretty handy," Thoma commented.

"It's kind of why no one is competing against them for that market," Mia agreed. "But the main thing Stella is known for…. I already said they're close to the stars because they're in the mountains. That's what they're known for. The tourism to Stella for their fantastic views of the stars is unparalleled. It gets worst around the two solstices. It's almost like they're worshipping the stars."

"They are," Lucy chimed in. "Stella's entire government revolves around them. They take their horoscopes very seriously." She turned to face them. "On one hand, I would love to visit for a view of the stars. On the other, if they found out that I'm a celestial mage they would start worshipping my keys and give me no peace. I've heard of celestial mages that have lost keys because the people of Stella felt a constant need to touch and worship them. Whether they were stolen or if they had dropped from so many trying to worship the keys is unclear. But they weren't going to go back for a few keys when they could have lost more if they did."

"So not necessarily a bad country," Mia finished. "Just not really mentally stable."

"Same could be said of all countries," Thoma smirked. "I'm sure there are plenty of people that say Fiore is insane for allowing the Magic Council so much governmental power."

"Every country has it's vice," Mia shrugged. "Anyway, how's it going Lucy?"

Lucy slumped her shoulders as a sign of defeat. "I can't really tell anything," she sighed. "If it's truly from Stella, then it will take me a long while to figure it out. I'm sure the two of you don't want to be stuck here waiting for me to finish what could take weeks."

"I may not have anywhere to go," Mia started. "But I'd like to leave this town sooner rather than later."

"Seconded," Thoma agreed.

"So, here's what we'll do," Lucy declared. "Since it's becoming more certain this a Stella site…"

"In Fiore," Mia piped up. The others shot her a look. "I'm just saying there was either a lot of trespassing, collaboration or the country borders got moved around a lot."

"Stella isn't known for violence," Lucy continued. "In fact, their history is literally filled with peaceful approaches towards invaders."

"What happened with that?" Thoma asked.

"They lost a lot of land," Lucy admitted.

"Border changes," Mia nodded her head.

"Any way," Lucy continued. "They wouldn't have laid traps in any place they considered valuable. Since this place was obviously made with care, it was valuable to them."

"Are you saying….?"

"There's no traps," Lucy grinned. "We can go in and explore."

"Music to my ears," Thoma took the lacrima and charged inside.

"Get back here with my property," Mia snapped after him. Lucy followed behind quickly, not wanting to be left in the dark.

The rooms on the first floor were simple storage rooms. Tall, clay pots lined the walls. What ever had been inside was long gone, devoured by insects, rotted or evaporated over time. Going up to the second floor was a type of living area with several rooms that looked they had sleeping space for a multiple amount of people. In the corners were sconces for lit torches. "It could have been a pilgrimage sight," Lucy hypothesized.

"Pilgrimage to what?" Thoma asked.

"My guess," Mia gestured to the last room. "Whatever is in that room."

The three slowly crept inside, not knowing what to expect. There was a type of altar in the center. No sconces were set aside for torches to light the room. "How did the people see in this room?" Thoma asked.

"This is a Stella site," Lucy murmured. She glanced towards the roof. "Up there, there's a hole in the ceiling."

"Hole? This room has no ceiling at all. Why even need a ceiling to begin with?" Mia asked. "This thing is underground."

"I got a theory," Thoma grinned. The two women looked at him. "What if this building wasn't originally underground?"

"How do you explain the passageway?" Mia asked.

"A depression in the earth," Thoma replied. "The passageway could have been dug out to be able to reach the bottom of this basin. They worshipped starlight, so maybe they had this place built to worship something significant. They just deepened the basin by carving out this structure."

"That doesn't explain why it's covered now," Mia pointed out.

"Maybe, when they were chased off, they had an earth mage that made the basin look like a hill in order to protect the site? They probably thought they would come back," Thoma shrugged.

"Open gate of the Southern Cross! Crux!" Lucy summoned one of her spirits.

A living cross with a gray mustache appeared. "Miss Lucy, how can I help you?" he asked.

"Grandpa Crux," Lucy began. "Is there anything significant related to the stars in this region?"

"Give me a moment," Crux said. He then appeared to be sleeping.

"Is it nap time?" Thoma asked.

"No," Lucy disagreed. "This is what he does when he's researching the celestial archives. If there's anything related to the stars, he'll find it."

"How long do we have to wait?" Mia asked.

Crux woke with a shout, startling both Mia and Thoma. "Not long," Lucy smiled.

"This is the location of one of the five points," Crux explained.

"Five points of what?" Thoma got his bearings back.

"It's a site that must be activated in order to learn a forgotten celestial spell. Once all five sites have been activated the spell will reveal itself to the person whose presence is most susceptible to star magic."

"That would be you," Mia looked at Lucy. "So, how do we activate the altar?"

"The one with Celestial Magic must pour a little magic into the altar by the light of the stars." Once Crux finished his body slumped forward.

"More research?" Mia asked Lucy.

"No, this time he's actually asleep. "How do we get starlight down here?"

"That one's easy," Thoma smirked. He sent a powerful blast of compressed air to the cavern roof.

"You idiot!" Mia shouted above Lucy's panicked screaming. As the rubble of the ceiling started falling on them Mia lifted her right hand. A silvery glow shown in her palm. At the same time a silvery dome covered the room that they were in. The rubble hit the dome and slid off to rest either on the portion of the building with a roof or onto the cavern floor.

"Wow," Thoma stated in awe. "I didn't actually think that it would work."

"LUCY KICK!" Thoma went flying up and over the wall. He would have hit the interior of Mia's barrier if she didn't release it. "NEXT TIME THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE DOING!"

As Lucy continued to yell at Thoma, Mia's attention was drawn to the sounds of people shouting from the now opened ceiling. Several heads popped over the edge to look down. "Sorry about the commotion," she called out. "My friend is a real air head. I hope that nobody was hurt?"

"It's an empty field," a male voice called back.

Mia blinked at the male voice. "Doranbolt? Is that you?"

"It's me," Doranbolt answered. "I just got back with an attachement of Rune Knights. The knights are arresting the mayor and rounding up anyone of questionable nature. I was looking for you all over the place."

"Sorry about that," Mia called sheepishly. "We got a little carried away in a little expedition."

"What exactly is that place?"

"It looks like a type of ancient ruin from Stella."

"Stella? But we're no where near the border," another voice said.

"Who was that?" Mia asked.

"This is Captain Lahar," Doranbolt answered. "He's in charge of the unit that came to clean up this town."

"Nice to meet you," Mia called. "Although, I wish it was under better circumstances."

"Indeed," Lahar's voice sounded a bit condescending. "I trust that you won't make a habit of blowing up any more innocent hills?"

"No promises," Thoma called. "Ow!"

Lucy trudged her way back to Mia's side. She looked up to the sky. It was night, but the full moon shed plenty of light into the room. "It's a clear enough night," she said. "How long have we been down here?"

"Long enough to miss meeting the knights," Mia answered. Lucy ignored the comment and approached the altar. As she was pouring magic into it, Mia looked back up to the two. "You wouldn't happen to have some large pieces of paper and maybe charcoal, or something to use for a sketching?"

"Why do you need some?" Doranbolt asked.

"There's some writing down here that we can't translate immediately. If we took a sketch of it we might be able to find someone that can help."

One of the heads disappeared for a minute. It came back and a sack dropped down. Mia stepped out of the way, not trusting herself to catch it without hitting her face in the process. "There should be everything you need in there." Mia took the items she needed and headed back towards the entrance of the building. Lucy would be fine with the moon shining down into the room.

Once she was finished with the tracing, Mia returned to find a glowing set of words hovering above the altar. Lucy was busy copying them into her notebook. Thoma stumbled in right behind them. "Dang Lucy," he muttered. "Where did you learn to kick like that?" A low growl was his only answer.

"I think she's still mad at you," Mia smirked. "Maybe next time, warn us before you blow out the ceiling above us?"

"Noted."

"That's it," Lucy snapped her notebook closed. As she stepped back the words faded from view.

"I didn't do it this time," Thoma snapped to attention.

"What are you talking about?" Lucy looked at him in confusion. She looked to Mia for answers only to find her holding her belly as she shook with laughter. "I'm finished with copying the text from the altar. All we need to do now is translate it."

Thoma sagged in relief and Mia quieted her laughter. "I take it we can start heading back?" Mia asked.

"We're all set," Lucy nodded. The three started heading back the way they had come.

When the sewer smell started to become prominent again the ladies replaced the t-shirts over their faces. Thoma could only roll his eyes at them, again. At the bunker, Lucy and Thoma stayed behind while Mia went off to talk to Doranbolt and Lahar.

The two of them were waiting for her at the edge of town. "I thought that you were traveling alone," Doranbolt commented upon seeing her.

"I was," Mia agreed. "I met those two after meeting with you. They had noticed the same thing in town as I did, but had no idea how to handle it. They saw me talking to you from a distance and wanted to talk to me. Then the male of the two wanted to do some exploring of a strange area he found. That's when we sort of stumbled onto those ruins."

"What are those ruins?" Lahar asked.

"We didn't know," Mia shrugged. "The best we can figure out is that it had something to do with ancient Stella." Mia silently hoped they didn't notice Lucy putting magic into the altar.

"Once we finish cleaning up the town we can send an investigation team down there," Doranbolt stated. He could tell that Lahar was about to interrogate Mia about the place. "For now, we'll just concentrate on the town."

"Where did your friends go?" Lahar asked.

"We passed through their camp and they decided to stay behind since I was the one that reported the town and needed to talk to you, not them." Lahar's forehead wrinkled in distrust, but he dropped it with the look that Doranbolt sent him.

"Will you stay at the hotel?" Doranbolt asked Mia.

"No," Mia shook her head. "And you shouldn't either." She handed Doranbolt the sack that he had dropped down to her earlier.

"I was just checking," Doranbolt smirked. "I already know what it looks like. So where will you stay?"

"The two offered to let me stay in their camp for tonight," Mia said. "I'll take them up on that offer, since they've got it pretty well established already. If you don't need me then I'll be heading over there for the night."

"Have a good night then."

"Will you need me in the morning?"

"No," Doranbolt shook his head. "We'll take care of everything from here."

"Then I guess I'll see you around." Mia waved as she walked back the way she came.

When Mia returned to the bunker she found Lucy holding her head in her hands and groaning. Thoma was in the corner, trying to hold in laughter. "What's going on?" she asked.

"I don't get it," Lucy cried. "I've spent so much time in my studies going over ancient languages and none of them are helping me here."

"You did say that this looks like a Stellan language," Thoma soothed. "Perhaps we should look into getting you some help in the translation."

"We?" Lucy asked hopefully.

"Well yeah," Thoma looked confused. "Isn't that what this is? I at least thought that we made a good team."

"We really did," Lucy smiled.

"So, team?"

"Yeah, team." Thoma walked up to Lucy and held his fist out. Lucy mimicked the action, their fists connecting and stayed there. The two looked expectantly at Mia.

"What?"

"You're a part of this now too," Thoma explained. "Get over here. Unless you don't want to team up with us?"

The smile that stretched across Mia's face matched Lucy's. "Alright then," she went up to them. "I'll team up with you guys. Better to travel with someone than without." She joined her fist with theirs, making their team official.

"First order of business," Thoma put his hand down. "Find a translator to help Lucy."

"I have an idea where to look," Lucy beamed.

 **It took a little longer to get this chapter out then I would have liked. I had so much going on these past few weeks. Had to study for a test in my statistic class, working 12 hour days, going to a wedding several hours away from home, then studying for my historical cultures test coming up right after. Time that I did have to myself was spent just resting the brain. The imaginative juices weren't flowing. Anyway, I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. I'll begin work on the next, but I can't promise a fast upload time unless work, school and family stop being so demanding of my attention.**


	5. New Goal

I don't own Fairy Tail or any of the characters. I don't own the Pradesh Family characters or the idea of Bosco or White Sea, those are Desna's brilliant brain children. I do, however, own Mia and Thoma.

 **Seeking Sunrise**

 _Chapter Four: A New Goal_

Lucy pulled out a magazine from her pack. "You follow Sorcerer's Weekly?" Thoma asked.

"What's that?" Mia was confused.

"It's only the most accurate news magazine regarding everything about the most popular mages," Lucy beamed. "They do cover spreads, interviews and gossip articles."

"They would get more fans if they wrote about me," Thoma smirked.

"Settle down Mister Ego," Mia rolled her eyes. "I'm not sure finding a lost ruin while destroying the landscape at the same time will make you famous."

"More like infamous," Lucy agreed. "Anyway…" Lucy started flipping through the sections of the magazine. "My all-time favorite mage guild has at least one article written in every magazine, they're that popular."

"I didn't know you followed a guild," Thoma looked confused. "So, if you're such a fan, why don't you just join them instead of wandering around?"

"There's some, ah, complications with that," Lucy muttered. "It would be the first place someone I don't want to see would look for me." Lucy's eyes turned a little hazy as she thought of the implications that joining a guild would cause her. She shook her head rid of them and began her explanation again. "This last magazine release wasn't really about the major players of the guild anyway."

"Just so we're all on the same page," Mia started. "Which guild are we talking about, exactly?"

"The Fairy Tail Guild," Lucy smiled from ear to ear.

"Just don't go groupie on us," Thoma leaned away. "Your personality already shines enough as it is."

"Are you a vampire in secret?" Mia teased. "Afraid of a little personality sunshine?"

"Nothing like that," Thoma disagreed. "I just don't do sappy."

"AHEM!" Lucy exaggerated clearing her throat. "Subject? Fairy Tail? Translations? Ancient Ruins? Any of this reading a bell?"

"Please continue," Mia smiled innocently.

"Anyway, this article talks about a brilliant mage that Fairy Tail has in their guild. An archeologist came across a ruin buried in the desert sand, but the writing was so ancient he had a hard time deciphering the translation."

"Sounds familiar," Thoma interrupted.

Lucy continued as if he hadn't spoken. "The sponsor of the dig put out a job request to the major guilds to help translate them. Several answered, but none could figure out what it was with any certainty. The reward was raised a few times before a team in Fairy Tail answered. It was Team Shadow Gear. The members names are Levy, Jet and Droy. The article mentions that Levy brought her own mini-library on translations to help her reference. Using gale force glasses, she went over the writing and her books and cross referenced them. She discovered that they weren't just one ancient language, but several to make discovery more difficult. In the end it was translated and that led the dig to becoming one of the most prominent discoveries in history."

"Sounds like a nerd," Thoma grimaced. Mia elbowed him in the ribs for the remark. "See," he wheezed out, "you're fitting in already."

"We now know the 'who' to ask for help," Mia began. "Now we need to answer the 'how'."

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked.

"You just stated not that long ago that there are complications with joining your dream guild," Mia pointed out. "I think I'm safe in assuming that approaching them is also out of the question." Lucy bit her lip as she processed the statement. It was true that going anywhere near the guild could result in her father being able to find her. "Then there's the question of how to get in touch with Shadow Gear itself. How can we guarantee that they'll be the ones to answer a call for help from a group of people that are neither well known or guild members?"

"You have the comm lacrima," Thoma said. "We could call Fairy Tail and put in a request."

"Sounds great," Mia smiled at him. "Do you have their comm number?" Her question was met with silence. Mia turned to Lucy and knelt beside her. "Don't get me wrong, it's a great idea and we do need the help to figure this out. But, if you can't go there in person it's not really an option."

"Maybe it is," Thoma stood with his hand to his chin. "So far, we know the language is ancient in Stella. What we gathered is that it mentions a forgotten celestial spell. We might be able to spark interest in translating it based off that."

"It would be nice, if we were posting it as a job request," Mia sighed. "But how are we going to garner enough funds to pay for it? Team Shadow Gear didn't take that job request until the reward posted was raised several times. I don't mean to sound so pessimistic, but we need to look at reality. We don't have a steady income, we're not well known, this is more a personal quest then business. Unless we go in person and appeal to their generosity, I don't see getting their help."

"It's a risk I'll have to take," Lucy stood in determination.

"Come again?" Thoma asked.

"In the morning, we'll leave for Magnolia." Lucy went over to her cot and turned in for the night, her decision made. Mia shrugged at Thoma and followed Lucy's example. With a roll of his eyes and a sigh, Thoma turned out the light and went to his own cot.

The next day the three began their journey to Shirotsume town. There they hoped to catch a train to Magnolia. It took half the day and they just made the early afternoon train. They all sat around, discussing what would need to happen when they got to town. "I don't think either of you should travel with me to the guild," Lucy admitted.

"What would happen if you were found?" Thoma asked.

Lucy let out a sigh, it was getting difficult to keep everything under wraps. "I would most likely be dragged back to my father, kicking and screaming, then forced into a marriage where I would be expected to breed an heir for my father's business."

"Come again?" Mia sat up straight.

"My father is a successful business man," Lucy explained. "Extremely so. He was in the process of negotiating an arranged marriage for me to expand his business. I overheard him talking the details out. Basically, all he sees me as is a means to further his wealth. I had no say in what I learned, how I dressed, acted or my future. It wasn't what my mother had told me my life would become. I had to leave, so I ran away. My father would most likely have someone search my room for clues. I hid or got rid of as much as I could, but I'm fairly certain some of the staff knew I loved the Fairy Tail Guild and the freedom they represent. My father would find that out one way or another, eventually. He would either send someone to collect me, or an investigator to confirm if I was there or not then he would send someone to get me."

"Let's hope for the second option," Mia stated. Thoma blinked at her while Lucy gave her a soft smile. Mia directed her explanation to Thoma. "It takes time to get a report sent to the right person. Then they have to take the time to hear or read it. It takes even more time to get a person, or group of people, together to act on the information. With luck, we can be in and out of Magnolia before Lucy's father acts on her presence there. However, if someone is stationed at Magnolia and told to collect Lucy upon confirmation of her presence then we'll have a fight on our hands."

Thoma nodded in understanding then turned to Lucy. "In that case, no, you won't be going into the guild alone. We'll accompany you to and from. Safety in numbers, right?"

"Thank you," Lucy was touched. They three of them barely knew each other for a few days and already they were watching over one another.

"So now that Lucy's showed her hand," Mia sat up straight. "I've been excommunicated from my family." Lucy and Thoma looked at her in stunned silence. "I told you I recently came into my magic." Mia pulled one of her gloves down her arm. Lucy gasped at the sight of the crisscrossing of new scars while Thoma narrowed his eyes. "I nearly lost both my arms in a farming accident. My magic manifested and saved me, but at the cost of the expensive farm equipment. I come from a small farming community on the outskirts of Fiore. Still kind of living in the dark ages as far as views of magic are concerned. My family didn't take too kindly to me gaining magic, to put it lightly. I was rescued by a neighbor. While I was in the hospital my 'family' burned all my belongings, cutting off all ties with me. Being of age to be on my own, there wasn't an option of foster families."

"I would say you're lucky then," Thoma commented.

"The Magic Council helped me as much as they could," Mia continued. "As a mage, my protection and all crimes against me fell into their jurisdiction."

"Crimes against you?" Lucy asked.

"Right after the accident my father tried to kill me," Mia admitted. "Then the value of my lost belongings. They also offered to sponsor me to learn my magic. I just would have had to join the Rune Knights in order to do so."

"Smart move declining them," Thoma grimaced.

"I met the two of you not too long after that," Mia smiled. "I think it works out better this way."

"Same here," Lucy agreed.

"I hate adding to the mush," Thoma sighed. "But I'm glad too. Welp, I guess this means it's my turn. I'm an orphan, don't really know who my parents were. Can't even tell you if they're alive or not. I was basically kidnapped within the hour I was born." Both girls blinked at him owlishly. "Hey, this is a good thing. I was told that I came from Pergrande. Anyway, fate decided to play a hand that day. I had a twin that was stillborn. The one present at the birth declared the **only** child born didn't survive. I was then smuggled out of the country where I was given to the matron of the orphanage I was raised in. As I grew up, I took on the roll of caring for the younger kids that came and went. As orphans, we were bullied by the kids of the village that had their parents. Our matron couldn't do much to defend us. She was older, plus the entire village took the word of their 'well behaved boys' over a bunch of 'parentless brats'. Their words, not mine. I had enough so, I stood up against them. As a reward I was chased out of town by the villagers wanting to see me imprisoned for attacking their innocent kids. That last town, I was working on helping the homeless kids when the two of you started trickling in."

"That explains why you get so furious when those adults were cruel to the kids," Lucy realized.

"Sounds to me we've all had our fair share of bad fate," Mia looked out the window.

"Like attracts like," Thoma shrugged. "Personally, I think it worked out for the best." The two girls nodded their agreement.

After another hour on the train they arrived at Magnolia. Lucy's hand hovered over Horologium's key. "We still have a little time before the guild closes for the day," Lucy announced. "We could go see if Levy is at the guild right now."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Thoma started forward. "The less time spent in this town the better it is for Lucy."

"Let's keep an eye out for people paying too close attention to us," Mia added. "If there is a spy looking for her, we don't want them following us when we leave town."

"Let's hope that Lucy's dad is as egotistical as all the other rich snobs."

"That's not nice Thoma," Lucy snapped. "I don't think I'm a snob."

"You're also not rich," Thoma grinned. "Not anymore." Lucy blinked, he did have a point.

The walk to the guild took a few minutes. Lucy stared up at it in awe. This was one of her dreams come true. The only thing that would make this better would be if she were here to actually join. With a sigh of disappointment, she quickly caught up to Mia and Thoma, who were opening the doors to walk inside.

The three stood in shock just inside the door. A brawl was happening right in front of them. It seemed that nearly everyone in the guild was involved. Thoma noted a group of four on the second floor looking down at the fighting, one of them sneering. Mia steered Lucy towards the bar, where the barmaid was waving them over. Thoma kept an eye on the balcony. He and the sneering blonde made eye contact. The blonde's eyes narrowed and Thoma lifted his head in defiance. He knew a bully tactic when he saw one. He placed himself between the blonde and his companions.

"Hello there," the barmaid greeted. "What can I do for you?"

"Y-y-y-you're Mirajane," Lucy stuttered. Mira's head tilted to the side in confusion.

"What my friend means," Mia interjected. "It's nice to meet you. My name is Mia, the starstruck one is Lucy and the apparently shy one is Thoma."

"I'm not shy," Thoma stated. "Just concentrating."

Mia followed his line of sight and laughed. "I see what you're concentrating on."

Thoma's head snapped around so fast Mira could have sworn he gave himself whiplash. "You can't be serious?!" he snapped. From up on the balcony a boisterous laugh could be heard as the blonde male turned blue in the face.

"Did the three of you come to join the guild?" Mira asked.

"No!" both Mia and Thoma spoke at the same time. Mira blinked at the sudden reaction. Mia cleared her throat. "Sorry, but no, we're not here for that. Actually, Lucy needs some help and we're here looking for Team Shadow Gear?"

Mira looked over the thinning brawl on the floor. She started waving her hand over her head and jumping up and down. "LEVY! LEVY!" A woman with blue hair looked up from the book she was reading. "Levy! Come over here for a second!"

As she was getting up, the two that were sitting nearby started to get up as well. She motioned for them to stay as she continued towards the bar. "Did you need something Mira?" she asked.

"Levy, this is Lucy, Mia and Thoma," Mira introduced. "They're looking for your team."

"My team?" Levy tilted her head to the side.

"We've heard that you're good at ancient translations," Thoma explained. "We came across some ruins a half day away from Shirotsume that seem to be from Stella."

Levy's eyes widened at the explanation. "But ruins like that so far in Fiore's border," she mumbled to herself.

"I took some sketching of the writing at the ruin entrance," Mia offered. She pulled the sketch out of her requip space. "Lucy was able translate a little. That's how we know it's from Stella. The other part mentions a forgotten spell. That's as far as she was able to get."

Lucy shook off her starstruck moment and pulled out her notebook. "It's a magical ruin," she continued. "I was able to put magic into the altar under starlight and this message appeared for a short time." She showed Levy the text she managed to copy.

Levy was already engrossed in looking at the writing. She absentmindedly turned back to her table and walked, somehow managing to avoid broken chairs and turned over tables. A gesture from Mira had the three following after Levy. At the table Levy had pulled out a number of books and was already beginning to try and decipher the sketching. Lucy was glancing over the books that were being referenced and one caught her attention. "May I?" her hand hovered over the book. Levy glanced to confirm it wasn't a tome she would need immediately. She nodded and got back to work, sliding on her glasses.

Lucy did the same and began reading the book. Mia and Thoma just sat there and took in the now brawl free guild. Some of the mages were moaning on the floor. Mirajane walked over with a tray of drinks. "I didn't know what you would all like," she announced. "But I brought something I thought that each of you would enjoy." Thoma smiled as he took in the ale in front of him. Mia was a little awestruck that Mira had put together a chocolate shake for her. A sip proved that it had a hint of mint in it as well. Lucy absently sipped at her strawberry shake as she read.

"Thank you," Mia thanked Mirajane. "How much is the bill?"

"Don't worry about it," Mirajane giggled. "Consider it on the house."

"Are you sure?" Thoma asked.

"It's fine," Mira turned and walked away with a smile as Lucy and Levy were both making notes on pieces of paper as they continued to work.

"Astrum Rego!" Levy shouted out as she stood. All eyes were instantly on her. She scooped up Lucy's hands and announced excitedly. "The spell this is mentioning is called 'Astrum Rego'. Translated, it means 'Heaven's Ruler' or 'Stars Guide'."

"Which one?" Thoma asked.

"It depends on the context," Levy explained. "But I haven't gotten that far yet." She instantly sat back down and renewed her work. Lucy was just as excited and got back to her reading with more enthusiasm then before. The noise in the guild turned back to normal, except for Jet and Droy. Once the two of them realized that Levy was doing some actual work they immediately put on cheering decorations and began to cheer for Levy.

Mia and Thoma eyed the two. "So what type of magic do the two of you use?" Thoma asked.

"I use speed magic," Jet stated proudly. "And Droy uses plant magic."

"Does your team take any job aside from translation and book jobs?" Mia asked.

"Nope," Droy puffed up. "Books and translations are Levy's specialty. We've had a one hundred percent success rate because of her natural ability."

"So she does all the work," Thoma clarified.

"We support her," Jet defended.

"But you're basically useless on those jobs," Thoma pointed out. "She's the one doing all of the work and you two are riding her coat tails."

"Do you at least go to any sight that might be dangerous?" Mia tried to help them. "You know, somewhere that Levy needs you to watch her back?"

"We would never take Levy anywhere that might be dangerous," Jet looked almost offended. Mia let out a sigh, she tried to redeem them in Thoma's eyes, but they blew that out of the water before it could set sail.

"Guide the heavens and lead the seeker," Lucy's muttered sentence broke the tense silence. She looked up at Thoma and Mia. "It's the first part of the spell." She pointed to the last line of the text she copied. "And this points to the next ruin location."

Levy stood to look over at Lucy's work. "That's a great job," she praised. "We make a pretty good team. Speaking of, the rest of the text about the spell. It's meant to guide both the stars and the caster."

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked.

"It's basically a two-process spell," Levy explained. "As it's active it can lead you to nearby celestial keys that don't hold a contract." None noticed a man with ginger hair stiffening under his pile of women. "The second is kind of sleeping. It doesn't activate without a different spell. There's an attack spell used by Celestial Mages." Levy started leafing through one of her books. "Here, the spell is called Urano Metria. It doesn't give the phrase in the book, but it does describe that it uses the eighty-celestial bodies as a weapon against the opponent. The problem is that the only one that was able to cast it with success was the originator. My theory is that it was intentional. All those that used the spell after he died had their magic drastically drained after using it once, where as he was hardly winded after each use. My theory is that these two spells worked together. A guiding spell would guarantee that the castor wouldn't have to put so much magic towards controlling the eighty-eight stars and that they would seek the target 'Stars Guide' laid out to them." She then eyed the three mages in front of her. "Unless any of you are a celestial mage, it's pretty useless."

"About that," Lucy laughed a little nervously. Her keys clinked together as she shifted. Levy got excited all over again.

"I've never met a celestial mage before," she gushed. "How does your magic work? I heard you have to make contracts with the spirits, how do you keep them all straight? Do you study the constellations? Is that a mandate for Celestial Wizards or is it a personal hobby? How many keys do you have? Is it hard to maintain them? How much magic do you need to use to hold open a silver or gold key? Is there a major difference?"

Mia pulled the translation that Lucy had been working on towards her as she tuned out the two's conversation on celestial magic. Thoma just people watched as he drank. "BOSCO!?" Mia slapped a hand over her mouth at her outburst. She hadn't meant to be that loud. Thoma was eyeing her now instead of others. Mia blushed as she noticed a lot of eyes on her now. "The, uh, ruins say the next set is in Bosco," she muttered to Thoma.

"I guess that means we have a lot of traveling we're going to be doing," Thoma sighed.

"But the fun you'll have once you get there." The two turned to the voice that was addressing them. A very tall man covered head to toe in a type of armor suit stood in front of them. The only thing visible was his chin and mouth. His tongue was lolling off to the side in a grin. Little totems floated around him.

"What do you mean?" Mia asked.

"You don't know?" the man looked shocked. He straddled the bench in front of the two of them. "Bosco has some of the best politics in the world," he started. "It's also one of the freest countries in all of Ishgar, if not the most. It's all about expressing yourself and being comfortable in your own skin."

"How do you know all this?" Thoma asked.

"Isn't it obvious man?" The totems behind him bobbed up and down. "Obvious!" "Totally!" "No denying it!"

"Are you from Bosco?" Mia asked.

The man laughed, gave a clap and pointed to her. "Ten points for you," he grinned. "Yup, born and raised. The name's Bickslow, by the way."

"I'm Thoma, this is Mia and that's Lucy."

"Nice to meet you all," Bickslow nodded. "You all planning to head to Bosco?"

"It looks like we might," Mia chatted. "We're just waiting for Lucy to finish talking with Levy so we can plan the next move. This is all for her, after all."

Bickslow tilted his head to the side. "You three team members? I'm getting that nakama vibe from all of you."

"I don't know about any vibes," Thoma chuckled. "But yeah, we're a team. Mia and I are helping Lucy look for the ruins that contain information on this lost spell related to her magic."

"Sweet," Bickslow tongue hung out again. Mia noted that the guild stamp was placed on his tongue as his totems chanted variations of what he just said. "So what guild are you guys from?"

"We're not affiliated with any guild," Mia answered. "We're all just kind of setting off on our own, just recently."

"You're kidding me? Then how are you a team?"

"We brought down a tyrannical mayor of the town the first ruins are located in together," Thoma smirked. "It was poetic."

"Poetic?" Mia looked at him like he'd lost a head. "You didn't have that giant grease ball hit on you and insinuate you were only good for one thing. If I could have locked him up and removed all oxygen without it being a crime I would have." She paused as she thought about it. "Hey Thoma…"

"No," he didn't let her finish.

"You didn't even hear what I was going to ask."

"You want to spar," Thoma started. "You just had the idea of removing air from someone that you imprison in your magic. Doesn't take a genius to figure out why you want to spar. So again, no."

"What type of magic do you guys use anyway?" Bickslow asked.

"I'm an air/wind mage," Thoma said.

"Which makes you the perfect person to try that on," Mia pleaded. "It would be harder to take the oxygen from you."

"And this one here is a barrier mage, if you hadn't guessed." Thoma continued to talk to Bickslow as if Mia hadn't spoken. "Lucy, still talking to Levy there, is a Celestial Spirit Mage."

"Pretty diverse team," Bickslow noticed. "Seen much fighting yet?"

"A bit," Thoma admitted.

"None," Mia said. "I'm still developing my magic."

It went silent as Bickslow stared at her. "Yeah, I can see that," he finally said. "Gotta say though, once you find that rhythm you'll be a good."

"What type of magic do you use?" Thoma asked.

"I'm a Seith Mage," Bickslow puffed out his chest. "I work with and control souls, healing and guiding lost souls and such. As well as taking control of the soul of enemies."

"That sounds fulfilling," Mia smiled.

Bickslow was shocked at her words. Normally people shied away from him when told them he could control souls. "You're not scared?"

"Am I your enemy?" Mia blinked at him.

Bickslow opened his mouth to say something when a voice calling his name stopped him. He turned to see his team getting ready to leave. "That's the boss man," he sighed. "Well, it was nice meeting you two. When you get to Bosco you should look up my family in Pelerno. My old man's name is Arman Pradesh. Just tell them Bixy says 'hi'." He rushed towards the door after his team. "Oh, and you three really should consider joining a guild. Doesn't have to be this one, just saying."

"He seemed nice," Mia said after Bickslow was out the door.

"Can't say much for his team though," Thoma put in. "That blonde guy, real ass hat."

"You didn't even talk to him," Mia chastised.

"Don't have to talk to someone to know that they were judging you before they even got to know you," Thoma answered. "That guy was doing a lot of that. Not just to us though. He was looking down at everyone in the guild. My guess, he's really hyped up on a power kick. The more powerful you are, the more respect he gives. He's shown no respect to anyone except his team since we walked through the door."

"Maybe there's more to him then you think," Mia tried.

"I'll believe it when I see it."

"Good news guys," Lucy came up to them. Levy was a little behind her. "We've got the location of the next ruins narrowed down. So, it's in Bosco. I don't know about the two of you, but I'm tapped out of jewel for train tickets. Which means we're going to have to take the long way."

"I'm tapped out too," Thoma sighed. "Travel really drains the wallet. At least, if we want to eat something halfway decent."

"I'll stick with you guys," Mia said. "I can pay for some of the travel expenses, but until my settlement kicks in, it won't go very far."

"Absolutely not," Lucy refused. "I left the life of relying on someone else's money behind me. If I can't pay for traveling I'll figure some other way out. If you don't want to walk with us it's fine, you're not under any obligation to."

"Just because I offered to pay?" Mia looked confused. "You didn't need to suggest I didn't want to be with you guys. I said I would join you two and I meant it. So that means you're stuck with me. I'll travel with you guys, maybe keep Thoma out of trouble."

"Oi."

"Plus, he said he'd help me train and get stronger in my magic. You won't get rid of me that easily."

The three said their farewells to Levy, exchanging the guild's comm number and Mia's so they could get in touch again. A redhead walked past them, nodding in greeting as she walked up to two men, one with black hair and the other with pink. They seemed frightened of her and were sweating when she was paying attention to them. When her back was turned they were glaring at each other and nearly started fighting. The three chose to ignore them and headed towards the exit. "Leaving already?" Mira asked.

"We've got an early day tomorrow," Lucy smiled. "Thanks for the shake earlier. It really gave me the boost I needed for that research."

"It was my pleasure," Mira smiled at them. "Come back again sometime. You could join the guild once you're done with your job."

"We'll keep it in mind," Lucy smiled. Although it was something she really wanted, she knew that it wouldn't work out.

The three had spent a few days walking to the Boscan border already. They decided to take a break day or two from traveling. Lucy was practicing with her whip, sparring with Virgo, while Thoma was working with Mia and getting her magic up to snuff.

"You're thinking too basic," Thoma criticized. "You're a barrier mage, so you're thinking you're only good at one thing. It doesn't have to be, expand on that. You've already had the idea of entrapping people in your barrier, it's a good start. But what else can it do? My wind isn't just for generating small to strong breezes. If I wanted it to I can deflect attacks or even make a barrier of my own. The people in the barrier might have a bad hair day for a few weeks, but it still could keep them safe. I'm not restricting to offense. Which means you shouldn't restrict yourself to defense."

"Don't be defensive," Mia muttered to herself. A surprised shout startled the two. When they looked there was Lucy being carried away by a forest Vulcan that was shouting out something about its woman.

"For the love of…" Thoma cursed. "Training's over, time for a crash course in practical application."

"Oh joy," Mia groaned. The two of them chased after the green furred menace.

"These things are basically harmless," Thoma explained. "Unless you get them in a horde, which they usually are. Then they'll take you on by wearing you down. Once you're weak enough, they'll use take over magic and assimilate your body as their own."

"That's disturbing," Mia shuddered.

"Well, that's if you're a guy, like me." Thoma gave Mia a sidelong glance. "Women have it a bit rougher, as you can see with Lucy. Doesn't matter which type it is, all Vulcans are male and extremely perverted."

"And we're letting it get ahead of us because…?" Mia threw her arm out. She was desperate to stop that thing from carrying off her friend. A barrier appeared in front of the Vulcan. It tried to stop, but still ran right into the barrier. Surprisingly, as the Vulcan dropped Lucy the barrier wrapped around the Vulcan completely and restricted all movement.

"Nice," Thoma whistled. "When I said expand on your magic, this isn't what I had in mind, but it definitely works."

Lucy was standing up slowly, rubbing her now sore behind. "You could have been a little gentler," she whined.

"Sorry," Mia said. "It was a spur of the moment kind of thing." A rustling in the trees drew their attention. Several large shapes started shambling towards them. Mia leaned in Thoma's direction. "What was you said about Vulcans? They always have a horde?"

"I've got a plan," Thoma ground out. Before he could say more, six more Vulcans leapt at them from the trees. Thoma used his wind and started lifting and pushing them in a circle around them. He worked hard to keep them out of reach. He didn't want any of them to be grabbed up in the hurricane force wind. "Mia, think you can make a solid wall barrier?"

"I've never tried before," Mia admitted. "What are you planning?"

"It might take it's toll on you since you're still new, but I was planning on throwing them all against it to knock them out, including the one you still have trapped." Lucy was toing the still barrier tied Vulcan. Mia's right hand was still glowing as she fed the barrier it's power. "Lucy, think you can kick it in the path of my wind?" Lucy gave him a 'you're kidding' look.

Mia scrunched up her face as she concentrated. The trapped Vulcan wobbled a little. The motion sent Lucy jumping closer to Thoma and Mia. "Is it escaping?" Thoma looked at Mia.

"I'm trying something," Mia said through grit teeth. With a jerk of her wrist, the trapped Vulcan joined the others in the circling wind. Mia let out a tired sigh as she let go of the barrier. "Just give me a sec," she panted.

"That was pretty cool," Lucy praised.

"I don't know how much longer I can keep this up," Thoma warned. Taking a deep inhale, Mia straightened her posture and extended her hand. A barrier formed between a few trees. At her nod, Thoma threw the remaining Vulcans toward it. Several loud thumps later, there was a pile of Vulcans in the forest, all out cold. Mia slumped and her knees hit the forest floor. Lucy was next to her in an instant. Thoma kneeled down in front of her. "Not too shabby," he grinned. "Little more practice, build up your stamina and you'll be taking on hordes of Vulcans on your own in no time."

"Sounds great," Mia tiredly smiled. "But let's take a nap first." That said, Mia promptly fell asleep. Thoma rolled his eyes and laughed. He turned his back to Mia and with Lucy's help he was carrying the exhausted mage back to their camp.

"Should we stay here?" Lucy was asking. "After that first attack, won't they just come back?"

"That's what I was wondering too," Thoma said. "We let Mia rest as we pack up. Then I'll have to carry her to the next campsite."

"I can help carry her," Lucy offered. Thoma raised his eyebrow at her. "My spirit Taurus, I'm sure he'll be more than happy to carry Mia."

"How is your magic supply? You were training before that Vulcan ambushed you and Virgo. What happened to Virgo anyway?"

"Our sparring session was done. She needed to return to the celestial realm to take care of business. I don't know what, before you ask, I don't pry into their private lives. I'm not some overbearing control freak of a mage. As for my energy, I should be fine for a little while still." After packing up the camp, Lucy summoned Taurus to carry Mia. After seeing how perverted the spirit was, Thoma refused and said they'll make camp once he was too tired to carry Mia. He lasted two hours before they had to set up camp once again.

For the next two days, Mia slept. They didn't go anywhere during that time, Lucy and Thoma didn't want to disturb Mia as she rested. Magic exhaustion wasn't something to take too lightly. On the third day Mia's comm went off. Since Mia was still unconscious Lucy answered. "I'm glad I got through," Levy smiled. "How are you Lu?"

"We're doing good," Lucy said. "We had a run in with Vulcans a few days ago, which really exhausted Mia so our traveling has been put on hold while she recovers."

"Sorry to hear that, let her know I hope she feels better. But Lu, I had something really important that I wanted to talk to you about. Are you in or near a town?"

Lucy looked at Thoma as he pulled out a map. "We're about a day away from Oshibana," he announced.

"That's perfect," Levy grinned. "I'll meet you guys there."

"Hold on a second Levy," Lucy cut in. "What is this all about?"

"Well, a couple of our mages went on an unapproved mission. Stole it and proceeded to do the job against regulations. It was an s-class mission, and they're not considered in that rank yet. So one of our other mages, who is s-class, had to go and rescue them. She turned down all of the reward except for one piece. It was only because the village they were at didn't have any celestial mages. Lu, it's one of the zodiacs, Sagittarius. I told Erza, the s-class mage, that I knew a celestial wizard that would be able to use the key. Without asking for payment she hands the key over and said she trusted me to give it to someone of good character."

"That's amazing," Lucy whispered out. "Wait a minute, you mean you're…"

"Bringing you the key," Levy finished for her. "I'll be taking the morning train to Oshibana. I'll see you there." The comm link then went dark.

"Hopefully Mia is up soon," Thoma said. "We really need to start moving if we're going to meet Levy in Oshibana in time."

"Mia's already awake." The voice startled Lucy and Thoma. Mia sat up slowly. "She's got a headache like the Vulcans slammed into her head and not a barrier, but she's awake."

"It would kind of be like they slammed into you," Thoma pointed out. "After all, the barrier was made of your magic. Each hit it took affected you in one way or another. It's not all that surprising you feel like that."

"Let's worry about that later," Lucy said. "You've been out for a few days. I'm sure that you're hungry by now." Lucy presented Mia with a plate and let her eat while she and Thoma packed for the day. They hadn't planned on stopping in Oshibana, but a new key for Lucy was too good to pass up.


	6. Spirits

**This chapter is two combined into one. Sort of my apology for not posting in December. I'm trying to maintain the timeline as much as possible. If anyone notices a discrepancy, please pm me and let me know. Thank you.**

I don't own Fairy Tail or any of the characters. I don't own the Pradesh Family characters or the idea of Bosco or White Sea, those are Desna's brilliant brain children. I do, however, own Mia and Thoma.

 **Seeking Sunrise**

 _Chapter Five: Spirits_

Lucy, Thoma and Mia made their way into Oshibana. "What time did Levy say she would arrive?" Mia asked. Neither Lucy nor Thoma answered. Mia looked over to them and noticed they both had their faces in looks of concentration.

"I don't think that she did," Lucy said slowly. "Do you remember if she did, Thoma?"

"Not at all," Thoma shook his head. "I honestly don't think she did."

"Then we should first head to the train station," Mia suggested.

"What for?" Thoma asked.

"To check the schedule," Lucy grinned. "There should be a list telling what times to expect trains to arrive and from where. It should give us an idea of when to expect Team Shadow Gear."

"Guess there's no other choice," Thoma shrugged. "Especially since we didn't even work out a meeting place between us."

"How can you not think of something so basic?" Mia asked.

"I was a bit excited," Lucy admitted. "I'll be getting a new friend."

"I've never really thought about having to set up meeting places," Thoma added. "It's not really something that's important to me." Once the three looked at the train schedule they started to head back towards the town square. "So, we have a few hours to kill," Thoma pointed out. "What should we do while we wait?"

"What can we do?" Lucy asked. "It's not like we have extra jewel to spend on anything." The three lapsed into silence as they thought.

"This is a hot spring resort," Mia noted.

"We knew that," Thoma rolled his eyes. "It's hard not to notice all the bath houses lining nearly every corner."

"Thanks for that smart ass," Mia snipped. "What I mean is: aren't towns like this always looking for extra help? We could each get some simple jobs and earn some traveling money. Job hunting will be a good way to kill some time. If we stay here for a little while then we can build up a good chunk of traveling change."

"But where would we stay?" Lucy asked.

"We'll just camp out," Thoma suggested. "We've got enough camping equipment to stay comfortable, plus, with the help from your maid then it should be easy to rough it a few days or weeks."

"How is having a maid while camping 'roughing it'?" Mia asked.

"Not to mention that I couldn't possibly ask Virgo to do something like that," Lucy objected. "She's my friend, not a slave."

"I never meant to imply that," Thoma said. "I merely meant that she could help us set up so we're cozy and have a decent means to freshen up so that we don't go to any potential new jobs stinking like we've slept on the ground a few days."

"We have slept on the ground a few days," Mia smirked.

"Now who's the smart ass?" Thoma grinned.

After a full afternoon of looking for work, the three had no luck in finding any jobs in Oshibana. "Well this sucks," Mia sighed.

Lucy slumped tiredly onto a bench at the train station. Thoma dropping into the seat next to her. Mia looked at the two in exasperation. "I can't believe that you two are that tired," she said. "All we really did was walk around and talk to the managers of places."

"That's exactly it," Thoma pointed out. "Talking to people and trying to be respectful when they haven't done anything for me is hard work."

"Yes, it must be extremely hard to not be an ass," Mia shook her head.

"He's kind of right," Lucy sighed. "It's exhausting to try and hide how you really feel to people that are disgusting pigs. I wanted nothing more than to kick that restaurant manager through the wall. I only restrained myself because you were kind of in the way."

"Kinda wish you did," Mia teased. "After all that leering he did you still didn't get that job. A job in a restaurant would have given you a decent number of tips and then you would be able to afford a room with a full-on spa treatment."

"That would be nice," Lucy sighed.

"What will be nice?" The three turned to see that team Shadow Gear had arrived.

Lucy bolted to her feet and rushed around the bench to greet Levy. "You made it," she greeted.

"Of course we did," Levy grinned. "I promised that we would bring you a new key."

"It's still great to see you," Lucy and Levy clasped hands together. "It's such a relief to have a kindred book lover as a friend."

"I know!" The two continued to gush and catch up as if they hadn't seen each other in months when it actually had only been a few weeks at most.

"Why are you two here?" Thoma looked to Jet and Droy. "It's a simple drop off and return to Magnolia. You're not really needed to go with Levy everywhere." The two looked stricken at the mere suggestion of leaving Levy alone.

Ignoring what was going on with the others, Levy fished through her purse. "Here you go Lu," she announced. With a flourish she produced a golden key in the shape of an arrow. "The Archer's gate key."

"Are you sure you don't want anything for it?" Lucy asked hesitantly. She slowly reached a hand out to grasp the key.

"I'm sure," Levy agreed. "Erza said it was a reward and didn't ask for a jewel. Besides, after you three left I did a little research on Celestial Mages. I didn't really like what I found."

"What was that?" Mia asked.

"Most well-known Celestial Mages mistreat their spirits," Levy announced. "Everything from using them as shields, distractions and even as slaves. The most well-known was Karen Lilica from Blue Pegasus. The article I dug up reported that she would use her spirits for the escort style guild. Some witnesses saw that at least one of the spirits she used begged her not to, but she still forced them. On top of that, she hid behind her spirits like shields. She died under mysterious circumstances and all of her keys vanished without a trace."

Lucy's mood plummeted at the turn of conversation. "I know it's a problem," she said softly. "It's something that my mother had described before. That's why she taught me that spirits are our friends and not just magic tools. They have feelings and can hurt just the same as we do. Just because they're immortal doesn't mean that we should discard their feelings. Still, I can't help wondering what happened to Karen's spirits. From hearing about how she treated them, they deserve to be with a mage that will treat them well." Her strong feelings about it caused everyone to remain quiet.

"What are you three going to do now?" Mia cut through the tension. "Are you going to stay at one of the resorts or something?"

"Unfortunately, we can't stay," Levy said sadly. "We have a mission that we need to get ready for. It will take a little while so we need to head back and make sure we're ready for it."

"Which means that you have to turn around and leave again?" Lucy sounded disappointed.

"Yes, unfortunately," Levy sighed. "The train leaves in a few minutes. Which means that we're going to have to say 'good-bye' again. But what are you three going to do now?"

"We were hoping to get jobs to build up some traveling money," Thoma explained. "We walked all day and no one is hiring."

"You should try Hosenka," Levy suggested. "It's just on the other side of the forest. This area is a huge well spring of… hot springs."

"Not funny," Mia rolled her eyes.

"Even if you don't find jobs, I hear they regularly post bounties on pick pockets and such. With so many tourists in the area it's almost like a thieves guild."

"Is there one here in Oshibana?"

"Unfortunately, not," Levy shook her head. "They have a police force here with such a heavy presence that most thieves don't even dare try." The whistle of the train drew their attention. "That's our cue," Levy turned back to the train. Almost as fast as the greetings were exchanged, farewells were exchanged as well. Team Shadow Gear was on the train and they left back for Magnolia.

"I guess that's it," Thoma shrugged. He turned to look at Lucy. "Are you going to summon your new friend now?"

"It's kind of an intimate thing," Lucy said. "Making a contract with a spirit is really personal. I don't mind summoning in front of the two of you, but this is still a very public place. Anyone could see us and it's important that it stays private. You see, when a Celestial Mage makes a contract when there are others present it shows the spirit that the mage trusts them completely."

"You really have no problem with Thoma and I being there for that?" Mia asked.

"It might seem a little strange," Lucy admitted. "We really haven't all known each other for very long. But we've all been looking out for one another. Making a contract, it's not something I would do in front of my own father. He treated me horribly, so I didn't trust him anymore. The two of you are different. We've been through a lot already and I know you two won't let me down."

"I'm think I'm going to cry," Thoma faked a sniff.

Mia rolled her eyes at his theatrics. "You're such a drama queen."

Thoma smirked at her and winked. "Why thank you."

"Come on you two," Lucy smiled at them. "Let's start for Hosenka and then we can find a place to camp for the night." The three friends started for the woods. It took them three hours to get through the woods. At a clearing near Hosenka they set up the camp, Virgo came out and helped to make the camp almost as comfortable as a regular house would be. The three had their own sleeping area that allowed for privacy, a 'wash room' for lack of a better term and a cooking/communal area.

Lucy ended up summoning Sagittarius the next afternoon after another day of looking for work. At the sight of a man that appeared to be wearing a horse costume Mia covered Thoma's mouth when he started snickering. She didn't want him to inadvertently insult Lucy's new friend. It was obvious that Sagittarius had quite the personality. When he addressed you, he didn't even look in your direction. "Is he really an archer?" Thoma quietly asked Mia. The two of them ended up tilting their heads as they studied the spirit. Once the contract was finished and the spirit returned to his world dinner was started and the three turned in for the night.

Thankfully this day had proven to be more profitable than the last. Lucy did manage to get a job as a hostess for a restaurant. Mia and Thoma found work in a hotel. Thoma was now a bell boy, carrying luggage for arriving and departing guests. Mia worked in the laundry room because she refused to wear short sleeved uniforms. It was the only place she could still wear her normal attire.

The next day at work Mia was in the laundry room, trying not to think if the brown stain on some sheets was chocolate or something else entirely, when Lucy barged into the room in tears. She was receiving looks from all of the staff she passed as she made a beeline for Mia. Mia barely had time to drop what she was working on and catch Lucy as she flew into her. "IT'S HORRIBLE!" Lucy wailed.

Mia put her arms around Lucy's shoulders and led her away from the curious coworkers. "Let's go somewhere more private and you can tell me all about it," Mia soothed. She escorted Lucy to the nearest break room and locked the door behind them for privacy. After getting her a glass of water, Mia sat next to Lucy. "What's going on?"

"It's Fairy Tail," Lucy sniffed. She produced a Sorcerer's Weekly magazine. "They just finished having a guild war with Phantom Lord."

"I take it that's not something that happens often," Mia commented.

"It's illegal," Lucy exclaimed. "Both guilds could lose their official sanctions and be forced to either disband or be treated as a dark guild."

"So pretty bad," Mia agreed. "But if it's that bad, why would they do it to begin with?"

"It's because of me," Lucy whimpered. She pointed to a position on the article for Mia to look at, too emotional to explain further.

Mia scanned the page and started reading out loud. "'A client of Phantom Lord claimed that the Fairy Tail guild was holding his daughter captive against her will. It was assumed they were holding her for ransom due to an upcoming arranged marriage and were using the opportunity to extort as much money from them as possible.' Are you upset that it could be true?"

"It's absolutely not true," Lucy snapped. "That client is my father, I just know it!" Mia blinked at the way Lucy was so sure of her assumptions. "But it's so far away right now. I can't just drop everything and go deal with this."

Mia glanced back to the article. A list of recorded injuries caught her attention. "Team Shadow Gear was hurt!?"

Lucy sadly nodded her head. "Almost as soon as they arrived on the train from giving me the key."

"You mean that as soon as they got back to Magnolia they were attacked?" Mia blinked at Lucy nodding. "Then they never were able to go on that job they were planning on."

"I don't think they did," Lucy sighed. "I just don't know what to do right now. I don't know what the best course of action would be."

"Don't think about what would be best," Mia said. "What do you want to do right now? What's the one thought first and foremost going through your head?"

"My first thought is that my dad has gone too far," Lucy snapped. "He can't get away with something like this."

"What will you do about it?"

"Do you have your comm lacrima on you?" Mia produced the magic item with a flourish. "I'm going to let him know exactly how I feel about the whole thing." Lucy looked Mia in the eye. "Could I ask for some privacy? It's going to get a little dicey while I talk to him." Mia smiled sadly and stood to leave. She patted Lucy on the shoulder in a show of encouragement and stepped out.

Lucy looked back to the lacrima. It started to glow as she pushed magic into it and thought about connecting to the lacrima that her father kept on his desk for business. "What is it?" a stern male voice answered.

"Father, it's me, Lucy." She watched as he went from nearly ignoring the lacrima to glaring at it.

"You ran away from home without telling me and now you dare call me on a line restricted for business? How could you?"

Lucy bowed slightly under the pressure. "I'm sorry," she managed to say. "I shouldn't have left without speaking to you first, it was a poor decision on my part. One that I now deeply regret. You should know that I've already left Fairy Tail."

"I'm glad that you've finally came to your senses and left that guild. A lady of your standing shouldn't be affiliated with those ruffians. I certainly wasn't looking forward to wasting more of my money having it eradicated. You forced me to go to extremes Lucy. If you hadn't acted so selfishly, I wouldn't have had to lash out at your guild. You're the one that brought trouble upon your friends. It's better that you don't associate with them anyway. You're a member of the Heartfilia family, you have nothing in common with those peasants. You come from a completely different world than they do. Which brings me to the reason I want you home in the first place, dear. It's about our family. I have arranged for you to marry Duke Swarr, the Jenel heir."

"I suspected that might be the case," Lucy answered.

"Try to think of it as an investment to your future," Jude went on as if Lucy hadn't spoken. "Once you're married, we'll have access to the Jenel family's vast lands to the south, which will allow us to expand the Heartfilia railway and bring in millions."

"I see," Lucy's tone of voice was gaining anger to it.

Jude continued, not paying attention to the warning Lucy's voice held. "And I expect you to give birth to a baby boy. We need a Heartfilia heir. That is all for now. When you return to the Konzern the staff will see to it you have everything needed to prepare for the wedding."

"I'm sorry father," Lucy's voice hissed. "But that's not going to happen. I didn't call you to make amends, I called to say my final 'good-byes'. I realize it was wrong of me to just leave without saying anything, it's a decision I've regretted every single day. So, I've called to tell you exactly how I feel before I break contact with you for good."

Jude's eyes widened at her statement. "Lucy," he warned.

"ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD CAN'T BUY YOU HAPPINESS!" Lucy snapped. "I figured that much out when I was a child. Finally, I'm truly happy and I'm not going to let you ruin it for me you hear? I'm warning you, you better not mess with Fairy Tail ever again. I haven't even been there for longer than a day. I've made some wonderful friends that have been traveling with and supporting me this entire time. It doesn't matter that you're my father, if you threaten us, we will crush you just like any other enemy we've faced." Jude was staring at Lucy in disbelief.

"It didn't have to be this way," Lucy said sadly. "You and I could have sat down and talked things out, but now I can't trust you. You've hurt innocent people and also some that I care about. I don't need a fancy house, dresses or lots of money to be happy. I just need to be accepted for who I am. I'm not Lucky Lucy Heartfilia anymore. I'm Lucy of the Freelance Trio. My friends treat me like family, something that you never did. It was hard for me to leave the house, but only because I had so many fond memories of being with Mom. I care so much for the people that took care of and raised me after she left, but it's time for me to move on. I'm sure that if Mom was still alive, she'd tell me to always be true to myself and do whatever makes me happy. So, this is 'good-bye daddy'." Lucy hung up the lacrima without waiting for a response from Jude.

Mia stood on the other side of the door, glaring down at the floor. A few times she had to stop herself from going into the room and giving that man a piece of her mind. It wasn't her place to get in between family matters. In fact, if she was in Lucy's position, she'd want to handle the situation herself as well. It ended well for Lucy, telling her father off. She just did it a lot more politely than Mia would have. A smirk spread across her features, she figured that went for Thoma as well. It was a good thing he wasn't here to witness this. There would have been no stopping him from butting in. As much as he stands against bullies, a parent treating a child like a commodity would have definitely set him off. Mia stepped away from the door as she heard the handle turn.

Lucy opened the door and held out the lacrima to return to her. "Thanks for letting me use this," she said. Tears were still streaming down her face.

"Are you okay?" Mia asked. "Do you need me to walk you to camp or make sure your boss knows you won't be in for the rest of the day?"

"I'll be fine," Lucy dismissed. "I'm just going to wash my face before returning to work." Neither woman told Thoma about the exchange that took place. He didn't even notice the article of the guild war that started the whole affair.

After dinner, Thoma left to wash the dishes, Mia handed her lacrima back to Lucy. "What's this for?" Lucy asked.

"You want to ask about how Levy is, right?" Lucy took the lacrima with a grateful smile. Instead of asking for privacy, she scooted closer to Mia so they both could find out how their friends were.

Mirajane's face appeared a few moments later. "I'm sorry, but we're not taking any job re… Hello girls, it's a been a little while, how are you?"

"We're fine Mira," Lucy said. "We're calling about the article."

"What article?"

"The one about what happened between Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord," Mia explained.

"They printed about that?" Mira looked horrified.

"The people needed to know what was going on," Mia shrugged.

"We were wondering about Levy and the others," Lucy cut in. "How are they doing?"

"There's still some healing that needs to be done," Mira sighed. "But things are looking good for them and they're on the mend."

"We're glad to hear it," Mia smiled.

"They wouldn't be available to talk, would they?" Lucy asked hopefully.

Mira shook her head sadly. "There's no one at the guild," she said. "We're going to start rebuilding it tomorrow, but the master wanted me to keep the guild's lacrima with me and apologize to potential clients for the inconvenience of being unable to answer new requests."

"You need to rebuild it? How much damage was there?" Mia asked.

"It was pretty bad," Mira sighed. "Metal poles were struck through every wall, sometimes several in one wall. The structure is in a questionable condition at this point. It's too dangerous to hold business there. We need to tear down what's left and start over."

"That's horrible," Lucy whimpered. She bowed her head to Mira. "I'm so, so sorry."

"What for?" Mira was confused.

"My dad thought that I had joined your guild," Lucy explained. "He was the one that hired Phantom Lord to attack you."

"So that means, you're the heiress they were looking for? The one they thought we were holding for ransom?"

"Yes," Lucy was nearly starting to cry again.

"Then I'm glad we were able to protect you."

Lucy's head snapped up to look at Mira. "What?"

"I don't know your circumstances," Mira started. "I can only assume that you ran away because of how you were being treated. With how your father acted, lashing out instead of contacting us directly, I can imagine the kind of life you had. Even if we did it without realizing, I'm glad that we were able to protect you from having to go back to that man."

"Thank you," Lucy whimpered. Mia put an arm around Lucy's shoulders for comfort. "You have no idea what it means to me." Mira just smiled sweetly at the two. Lucy wiped her tears and squared her shoulders. "You should know, I contacted my father when I read about what happened. He won't be bothering your guild anymore."

"Are you sure that's safe?" Mira looked worried. "If he comes after you…"

"I honestly hope he tries," Mia's eyes narrowed dangerously. "He's got some nerve trying to force Lucy to go home when she clearly doesn't want to. Thoma and I are constantly nearby so she's got the protection needed in case he figures out where she is."

"Are you still traveling to Bosco?"

"Yes," Lucy answered. "We're just working on getting some travel money for the moment."

"You should hurry," Mira suggested. "If he does still look for you, he can't do anything when you enter Bosco. He'll have to go through legal channels and give a really good reason why you should be sent back to him. Bosco is about free-will, they'll never make you return to Fiore unless you're a dangerous criminal."

"That's not a bad suggestion," Mia said. "We'll work extra hard to make that happen as quickly as possible."

"Good luck you two," Mira waved. "Say 'hi' to Thoma for me."

"We will," Lucy said. "Thanks for the advice Mira."

"Anytime." The lacrima went dark as they finished talking.

"It wasn't your fault," Mia said right away. Lucy looked at her in confusion. "What your father did, having one guild attack another. I can't help but think there's something more. Every guild knows not to attack each other. You've said that they'll lose their sanctions. Why would Phantom Lord take such a risk and attack anyway? I think they were looking for an excuse."

"Well, if a guild was holding a civilian prisoner it would be one way to get approval," Lucy explained.

"But they didn't verify the accusation," Mia pointed out. "On top of that, from the way everything sounds, they didn't bother to ask for permission. I'm pretty sure someone was chomping at the bit."

"What does that mean?"

"Chomping at the bit?"

"Yes."

"It's a phrase we use," Mia shrugged. "On the farm, willful horses like to grab the bit between their teeth to keep the bridle from pulling and telling them which direction to go. In this way, they can go their own direction and do what they want. A rider that keeps them in check will make sure they can't get a good grip on the bit, but it won't stop them from chomping at it."

"You're pretty knowledgeable about it."

"I come from a farm," Mia shrugged. "I grew up around this stuff." The conversation faded and Thoma made his appearance. Light talk about work and things that Thoma had seen the Tourists doing was the focus of conversation for the rest of the night. Lucy ranted about how perverted the men that came to the restaurant were. Thoma only wore a knowing smile as she went into expletives on what she would like to do to them.

The following day, Lucy was forced to work a double shift. The night hostess had called in. When Thoma stopped by to see what was taking her so long on Mia's insistence. Once Lucy told him, he left only to come back with something for Lucy to eat from the dinner Mia had prepared. He then left her alone to finish the shift. It was late by the time that Lucy managed to leave. She was forced to wait for the customers to leave and help clean up afterwards. Lucy summoned Plue to keep her company. She was so tired that she didn't pay attention to her surroundings. She stopped when she noticed her path was blocked.

Two men stood in Lucy's way, leering at her. One was constantly shaking his head and the other wore a beany. "What do you want?" she demanded. She was definitely not in the mood to deal with perverts.

"We just wanted to invite you to have a drink with us, yo?" one said.

"Not interested," Lucy went to go around them. "What?" Her body jerked as she tried to force it into motion. "What's going on?"

"You didn't think we'd let you go that easy, did you? Yo!"

"Mages," Lucy realized.

The two started to approach her slowly. The sound of pounding feet drew their attention. A red-head wearing glasses and a green fur lined coat got between them. The rings on his fingers glowed as he started punching the two mages that had Lucy trapped. When the fight was over and the two were down for the count Lucy found she could move once again. "Thank you so much," she gushed.

"It's not a problem," her rescuer said. He suddenly hid behind a patch of bamboo shoots. "I've been looking for these two anyway. There's a job request for their capture. They've been causing a lot of trouble with the tourists."

"Still," Lucy said. "Let me repay you for saving me. Are you hungry?"

The guy hesitantly agreed, trying to keep Lucy from getting too close. Once he turned in the two he captured to the rune knights, the two were heading towards the only restaurant that was still open. The only one still working was a chef with a really, really large forehead. "I think I've seen you before," Lucy commented. "Aren't you a member of Fairy Tail? You're one of the most eligible bachelors printed on a special article from Sorcerer's Weekly. Loke, wasn't it?"

"That's right," Loke kept his head down.

"You know, you don't have to sit so far away." Lucy's eye twitched when she pointed out he had taken the seat furthest away from her.

"Oh, sorry." Loke reluctantly sat down next to her.

"Go ahead and order what you want," Lucy said. "It's my treat for helping back there."

"It was really no big deal."

"It was to me," Lucy argued. "I never repay kindness back with just a simple thanks. Especially something like what just happened. Besides, I thought that Fairy Tail wasn't taking requests right now?"

"How did you know that?" Loke looked shocked. "Well, it doesn't matter. I was actually after the bounty that those two had on them. I wanted to use the jewel to help the guild."

"It makes sense," Lucy agreed. "They'll need the extra jewel while rebuilding takes place."

"How did you.."

"Mia and I talked to Mira yesterday. Well, two days ago by now. She told us about what happened." Lucy stared at Loke as he seemed to try to avoid eye contact. "You're nothing like the magazine says," she finally decided.

"What do you mean?" Loke asked.

"They call you the 'ladies man' of Fairy Tail," Lucy explained. "Yet, here you are, all shy and not willing to open up and talk to me."

"Yeah, sorry," Loke sighed. "It's nothing personal, really. It's just, well…" He glanced towards Lucy's key rings then back forward.

"Are you trying to avoid me because I'm a celestial wizard?" Lucy asked sadly. Loke grunted, realizing that he gave too much away. Lucy narrowed her eyes at him then faced forward as well. "If you don't want to talk to me about it then I can respect that," she said. "But I don't think it's fair for you to judge me just because of my magic."

"You're right about that," Loke said. "I'm sorry, honestly. I wasn't trying to hurt your feelings." His eyes shifted to have a sparkle around them. "I'm no good for you, so just forget about me."

Lucy looked at him in confusion. "Um, why are you giving me some lame break up line?"

"That came out funny, didn't it?" Loke pushed his glasses up as Lucy rolled her eyes. "I didn't mean it _that_ way."

"You weren't serious, were you?"

"No, I was just thinking about something that happened a while back."

"I'm willing to listen if you want to talk about it." Loke remained silent as Lucy waited for a response. When it was clear that he wouldn't say anything, she let it go. "Well, whatever. I figured that it couldn't hurt to offer." Lucy cleared the bill with the chef then stood. "Thanks again for saving me back there," she smiled at Loke. "I guess I can see why you would be popular with the ladies. This was nice, but I better get going."

As Lucy started to walk away Loke reached out and grabbed her wrist. "Wait," he said tiredly. He stood up, making Lucy shift nervously. Out of nowhere he reached around and hugged Lucy. "Lucy."

"Um, yeah? What is it?" Lucy asked nervously.

Loke squeezed her tighter in an effort to ease her worries. "The truth is I don't have long to live." Lucy stared at the side of his head with wide eyes.

"What?" Loke stepped away from Lucy when she timidly spoke. "What's that supposed to mean?" Loke was looking down as he grit his teeth. He closed his eyes and looked to the side. After another moment of silence he started laughing. Lucy looked confused and concerned, the laugh sounded forced. Or maybe, not really a laugh, but a way to disguise something else.

Once he got his laughter under control, Loke winked at Lucy. "I sure fooled you," he said. "It makes for a pretty good pick-up line though, doesn't it? Pulls at the heartstrings every time. You should have seen your face. Classic." Lucy rushed forward and slapped him.

"You jerk," Lucy accused. She then stormed out of the building. As she stormed out, she picked Plue up from where he had been eating his own meal. He looked back towards Loke sadly.

Loke steeled himself and the rushed out the door. "Lucy, wait up!" He caught up to Lucy, but she was inclined to ignore him. "I want to say that I'm really sorry," Loke started. "I didn't mean to make you upset."

"That's not really the point," Lucy finally spoke. "I can overlook something like that, but what if you pull that line on another girl? You have no idea what a statement like that could do to a person that thinks they're in love with you."

"You're right," he said. "Again, I'm sorry about that. I promise not to use that line again."

"You promise?" Lucy glanced at him.

"I do."

"Do you have any idea what a promise means to a celestial wizard?"

"I'm probably one of the few that do and knowing that, I still promise not to tell a girl that I'm dying as a pick-up line ever again."

Lucy stopped and looked Loke in the eye. She sighed as she accepted his promise. "Okay, in that case I forgive you."

"Do you mind if I walk you back to where you're going?"

"Maybe just to the edge of town," Lucy agreed nervously.

"That's too dangerous," Loke went to argue.

"I'm not helpless," Lucy argued. "If worse comes to it I'll kick my enemy."

"Must be some kick," Loke teased.

Lucy ignored him and looked up to the sky. "It's so beautiful," she commented. Loke voiced his agreement as a shooting star raced across the sky. "You know, I've always wondered what happens to shooting stars."

"I feel sorry for them," Loke admitted. Lucy glanced at him as he continued to stare up. "Just think," he looked down. "Once they fall from the sky they can never return to heaven. Doesn't that seem sad?" He now looked to Lucy.

Lucy stared at him in silence for a second. She seemed to snap out of it with a glare. "That's another of your sappy pick-up lines again, isn't it? I can't believe that you almost fooled me twice."

Loke let out a breath of air that was a cross with a laugh. "Saw right through me," he looked down.

"Can't you go five minutes without trying to pick-up a girl?" The two of them were now at the edge of town.

"I know I can be a real pain," Loke stopped at the edge. "But I'm glad that we got the chance to talk and I could apologize. Good-bye." He turned around and started back towards the hotel area. Lucy stared after him in shocked silence.

Lucy rushed to camp so she could have some privacy. After checking to make sure that Mia and Thoma were fast asleep she pulled out a silver key. "Open, gate of the Southern Cross, Crux!" A silver and gold cross with a face and a white cross-shaped moustache appeared with a hoarse laugh. "Grandpa Crux, I need you to look something up for me please," Lucy said. "Can you use your powers to find out which Celestial Wizards Loke has met in the past?" Crux was silent for a few minutes, it also appeared that he was snoring. His eyes snapped open with a shout. "So, did you find any info?"

"Indeed," Crux bowed to her shortly. "Unfortunately, I can't provide any extensive details as personal privacy laws do apply to the spirit world. However, I can tell you that Loke was once connected to a Celestial Wizard named Karen Lilica."

"That's a familiar name," Thoma's voice came. He startled Lucy that she snapped around and covered herself in defense. "Chill out there Lucy," he laughed. "I'm not going to eat you."

"Besides, this is interesting." Mia poked her head into the communal area. "Levy just told us how Karen was abusive to her spirits a few days ago. It's a huge coincidence that her name would come up again."

"What are you two doing up?" Lucy asked.

"You can't expect your spirit to shout in victory and not wake up your partners when the walls between us are really just sticks," Thoma said exasperatedly.

"Sorry about that," Lucy looked sheepish. She turned back to Grandpa Crux. "What was the relationship between Karen and Loke?"

"Sorry, but I'm afraid I've said all I can on the matter," Crux apologized. Lucy let out a frustrated shout as Crux tilted and started snoring even louder.

"And now he's asleep," Lucy sighed.

"Seems a bit odd for you to be asking about people you've barely met," Mia pointed out.

"He saved me earlier tonight," Lucy spoke absently. She was thinking over everything that had just happened in the last few hours.

"I knew I should have stayed to walk you back," Thoma growled.

"Yet you knew she would have thrown you out with a growl to rival a lion if you did that," Mia teased.

"HOLD ON!" Lucy suddenly snapped. "What did you say?"

"You're like a lion?"

"A fallen star? It can't be," Lucy muttered to herself. "I have to go check something."

"Now!?" Thoma looked surprised. "You just got back from a double shift? Shouldn't you be heading off to bed? You have work in the morning."

"Actually, I don't," Lucy rushed trying to gather things. "The boss figured out the night hostess was just playing hooky. He told her she had to work mine and her shift tomorrow, well today, to make up for it."

"That still doesn't explain where we're going?" Mia put in.

"I'm sorry, but I have to do this alone," Lucy stopped to look at her friends. "If I'm right then it's not something that you can help with."

"Doesn't mean that we can't support you," Thoma argued.

"And I appreciate that," Lucy smiled. "But you two have work to go to, even if I don't. I can't have you two missing that for me. I don't know how long this is going to take. Just knowing that you two are supporting me is enough. I promise that I won't get into a situation that I can't get out of."

Thoma looked like he was going to argue, but Mia stopped him. "I don't like it," Mia snapped. "But I won't stop you. As long as you promise to be careful."

"I will," Lucy nodded and then ran into the woods. She checked the article she had kept saved on Karen. As she ran, she muttered, "That must be the real reason he's in Hosenka. Her grave is in the mountain west of the forest." _(I couldn't actually find information on where Karen's grave was, so I just made that part up.)_

Lucy ran for two hours, it was hard trying to do so up hill. The sound of a waterfall caused her to push herself faster. When she finally broke through the trees, she let out a sigh of relief. Loke was standing in front of Karen's grave marker. Lucy took a minute to catch her breath. Once she had calmed down, she started approaching. "There you are," she called.

Loke turned to look at her. "Lucy," he greeted sadly.

Lucy's eyes shifted to the carved stone behind him. "That's Karen's grave, isn't it?" Loke looked startled at Lucy's question. "She was a celestial wizard and she had a contract with you, right, the spirit Loke? Wait," Lucy looked down as she thought. "That's not really your name." She looked back up to him. "Your name is Leo, Leo the Lion."

Loke stared in silence for a bit before letting go of a sad smile. "Well, I won't deny it," he said. "But how did you find out?"

Lucy looked at him knowingly. "Don't forget that I'm a Celestial Wizard too and I have contracts with a lot of spirits. It wasn't too hard to dig up the truth. Still, you should have come to talk to me about this. Normally when a holder of a gate key dies their contract with the spirit is terminated. The spirit waits in the spirit world for a new wizard and contract. Your contract with Karen should have ended on the day she died. I don't understand why you're still here, I've never heard of that before. That's not how it's supposed to work. I know your kind can't survive in the human world for long, just like humans can't survive in your world. It will slowly eat away your life until there's nothing left."

"That's right," Loke sighed. "And it's been three years now and I no longer have the strength to keep it up."

"I didn't think even one was possible," Lucy was shocked. "Hold on, there's got to be some way I can save you. I can open your gate, or something. Why can't you just go back to the spirit world?"

"I broke a fundamental law that applies to both wizard and spirit," Loke replied. "I can't go back as punishment for a crime I can't deny committing. Karen died, because I killed her." He then proceeded to tell Lucy the events that led up to his actions and the cause of Karen's death. He described the horrible way that Karen would treat Aries. "I tried everything I could to stop her," Loke said. "But I couldn't do much because we were still contracted to her. Because I stayed out, she wasn't able to summon another spirit, but she took a job after three months anyway. She died because of me." Loke then collapsed as he started to fade away.

Lucy rushed to Loke's side. She kneeled next to him, tears running down her cheeks. "Wait, there must be something I can do to save you. You can't give up yet!"

"Please tell everyone in Fairy Tail I said 'good-bye'. I know you can get in contact with them."

Lucy slammed a fist on the ground. "I won't do it!" she yelled. "I won't let you die. All you have to do is go back to the spirit world and your life force will be restored, right? There's got to be a way I can send you back."

"I broke the law and am being punished," Loke spoke softly.

"Still," Lucy breathe. "THIS ISN'T RIGHT! You didn't kill her, it was just an accident. It wasn't your fault." Lucy leapt forward and wrapped Loke in her arms. She started to pour magic into Loke. "Open Gate of the Lion! Take Leo back to the Celestial World! Please! OPEN!"

"Calm down," Loke soothed. "It's okay." He moved Lucy away and put his hands on her shoulders.

"It's not okay," Lucy yelled at him. She grabbed his arms tightly in return. "I can't just sit here while my friend disappears right before my eyes." Lucy let out a shout and her magic filled the immediate area with a golden light. "OPEN! GATE OF THE LION!"

"Stop it!" Loke started yelling at Lucy. "You're going to use up all of your magic energy like this."

"I don't care!" Lucy yelled back. "Whatever it takes to save you, Loke! I won't give up, I promise I'm going to get you to the Celestial World!"

"STOP IT LUCY! If you keep going, you'll disappear too!"

"What good is magic if you can't use it to save the people you care about!?"

"Don't make me live with the guilt of killing you too!"

"You didn't kill Karen! Whoever decided that needs to know they were wrong!" Suddenly, as if a cable that was stretched too far snapped, the magic and time stopped. Lucy and Loke fell away from each other. Lucy closed her eyes as she braced herself. Loke started to look up in fear. He took hold of Lucy and the two of them watched as the stars started to spiral.

The water from the falls reversed then shot straight into the air. It formed a tunnel where the inside shimmered like the stars. A golden light started to shine in the center. "What's going on?" Lucy asked.

"Impossible," Loke muttered in awe and fear. "It's him, the Celestial Spirit King." From the light emerged an ethereal being as tall as a small mountain. "What in the world is he doing here?"

"He's the king?" Lucy asked hesitantly. "Like the ruler of the Spirit World?"

"Hello old friend," a deep voice resonated. Lucy squinted her eyes, but the being's lips never moved as it spoke. "As you well know, all beings must obey Celestial Law and taking the life of a key holder is forbidden." As he spoke, Lucy stood in defiance. "Under any circumstance. Though not by your hand, you were still responsible for your key holders' death. Thus, you were banished for eternity."

That statement caused Lucy to snap. "THAT DOESN'T SEEM FAIR AT ALL!" she yelled.

Loke reached out to her. "Lucy, stop," he pleaded.

"My judgement of Leo the Lion breaking Celestial Law still stands," the king stated.

"Loke has already been suffering long enough," Lucy argued. "He didn't kill Karen, he stood up to her because somebody had to protect Aries." The way she yelled, it sounded like she was accusing the Spirit King of not protecting those under his charge."

"It is heartbreaking to see my old friend in such a fragile condition," the king stated.

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!?" Lucy stepped forward. "Even an old friend is still a friend. There's one in front of you right now asking for a second chance, so open your eyes Stache Face." The Spirit King looked startled at the name Lucy had given him.

Loke held out a hand. "Uh, Lucy…" he felt the need to stop this before it escalated further. He was interrupted by Lucy continuing her rant.

"Karen died because she took on a job she couldn't handle," she seethed. "He had nothing to do with it. You have to change your verdict, cause he's innocent. Please, sir." Lucy was now crying as her magic picked up once again.

"Just drop it already," Loke snapped. "It doesn't matter if he changes the verdict. I'm not looking for forgiveness, I want to disappear and finally be free from this guilt."

Lucy's anger sky rocketed and her magic responded in kind. "You disappearing isn't going to bring Karen back," she yelled. "You did nothing wrong because it can't be a crime to protect the people you care about." Every spirit that Lucy had a contract with appeared around her. First, they stared at the Spirit Key and then turned their disapproving looks to Loke. Lucy then turned her accusatory gaze to Loke. "What about your friends?" she demanded. "Are you just going to leave them? Think about us and how miserable we would be without you!" Lucy's spirits and magic faded as she finally ran out of power. Loke went to her, calling out for her.

Lucy struggled to pick herself up. "All of my friends that came just now," she explained. "They feel the same way I do."

"Your friends?" Loke asked in disbelief. The only ones he had seen were the spirits contracted with Lucy. It was then he realized that Lucy truly didn't treat her spirits as contracts, they were her friends just as much as the two she traveled with or those she had made with Fairy Tail.

Lucy turned to look at the Spirit King. "If you're a Celestial Spirit too, you can sympathize with what Aries and Loke went through," she said.

Lucy started to fall back to the ground when Loke caught her. "Would you stop?" he demanded harshly. "You're going to end up like Karen if you keep this up. Don't risk your life to save mine!"

Through this whole exchange the Celestial Spirit King looked down and watched them calmly. At last he spoke, "Hearing you speak so highly of my old friend, has led me to think that maybe it is not his actions, but the law itself that should be in question." Both Loke and Lucy stared up at him with jaws open. "Leo was forced to commit his crime to protect Aries, his brethren. And the human girl is willing to risk her life to save Leo. Witnessing your bonds of friendship and loyalty I shall make an exception in this case. Leo the Lion, you are hereby granted return passage to the Celestial World."

Lucy gave a thumbs up as Loke stood there in shook. "You're awesome," Lucy complimented. "Thanks a lot, Stache Face." The Celestial King grinned and chuckled down at them.

The Spirit King spoke as he started to fade from view. "You are exonerated, be grateful to the guidance of the stars." In a sparkle of white light, he finally faded from view with only a shining light remaining.

Loke was once again on his hands and knees. "I have to make it up to her," he started to cry. "Please sir," he looked to where the light still shone.

"Very well then," the King allowed. "If you insist on atoning for your actions, then I hereby order you to live your life in service to your friend, the human girl. You are lucky to have found such a loyal friend. I suggest you protect her with your life, just as she fought to save yours." The light faded and time resumed, the water all rushing back down the falls.

Lucy and Loke stood up just as the sun started to peak over the falls. "Hey Lucy," Loke called. She gave a noise to let him know she was listening. Loke took her hand into his. "I just wanted to say," Loke started to fade to the Spirit World, "thank you." Lucy was left standing alone at the falls.

Lucy looked down to her hand and noticed the Lion's Gate Key clutched in her grip. She slowly made her way back to camp with a smile on her face. It was a long night, but saving the life of a friend was worth it all. By the time she made it to camp Mia and Thoma had already left for work. She crashed on her sleeping bag and was out like a light.

Lucy didn't wake up again until Mia shook her awake for dinner. As the three ate they discussed what happened. "So Loke was really a Spirit?" Thoma asked.

"I'm a little surprised," Mia admitted. "I don't think that a spirit hiding in a magic guild is a common occurrence."

"It's never happened before," Lucy added. "At least, not on any official records of Earthland. There might be several situations where a spirit had to be banished like that in the past. Spirits are immortal unless forced to remain in the human world. That's a lot of years for anyone. There had to have been a few that also broke the law."

"Aren't you curious to find out which ones?" Thoma asked.

"Not at all," Lucy shook her head. "That's delving a little too deep into Spirit affairs. I've already had my fair share of Spirit World Politics last night, thank you very much."

"Wasn't Loke a mage from Fairy Tail?" Mia asked. "Shouldn't they be told about what happened?"

"If you want to start calling them, I'll check if Loke wants to talk to them." Lucy did exactly that as Mia made the call.

As usual, Mirajane answered. "I'm sorry Mia," Mira apologized. "I don't really have time to talk right now. One of our friends is missing."

"Would it happen to be me?" Loke stepped into view.

"YOU'RE ALRIGHT!" Mira's shout drew the attention of others. "Loke, where are you? What happened? You resigned from the guild and disappeared so suddenly."

"Sorry about that," Loke smiled sheepishly. "I was hoping that no one would worry about me."

"Of course we were worried about you!" A young man with messy black hair pushed past Mira. "What kind of friends do you take us for? Now, where are you man? Do you need any help?"

"I'm near Hosenka," Loke answered. He held up a hand as he noticed a few of them getting ready to head out. "I need to explain a few things to all of you. First of all, I was extremely serious about leaving the guild. In truth, I'm not in a position to stay. You see, I'm actually a Celestial Spirit." He then explained to Fairy Tail how he had been banished from the Spirit World and that Lucy was the one that saved his life. "I'm contracted to her now," Loke finished. "By order of the Spirit King I'm not to leave her side."

"We'll miss you man," a boy with pink air said. A flying cat in the back was heard cheering, "Aye, sir."

"I'll make sure that he visits you guys," Lucy smiled at them.

"We will hold you to that," a red-haired woman nodded. "I look forward to seeing you in person again, Loke."

"Same here Erza," Loke grinned. After a few more gave their farewells the lacrima turned off. He handed some tickets to Mia. "Could you make sure that Erza, Natsu, Gray and Happy from Fairy Tail get these?" He smiled when she nodded in agreement. Loke then turned to Lucy. "I'm planning on getting you some tickets as well. I just happened to have been holding onto those for a while now. They were meant to go to the four of them."

"It's not necessary Loke," Lucy waved it off. "I helped you because I wanted to."

"How about, instead, I treat all of you to a night in one of the hotels here in Hosenka with a day of spa treatment? I won't take 'no' for an answer."

"Sounds good," Thoma answered. "But I'll skip on the spa and just spend the day in a hot spring."

"I hear ya, man," Loke grinned at him. He indicated that he would make the reservations, whether Lucy agreed or not. He then turned a serious look to Lucy. "You and I have some things to discuss." Lucy tilted her head in confusion. It turned to shock when Loke picked her up bridal style and started walking off with her.

"Where are you taking Lucy?" Thoma demanded.

"We need to talk about our future together," was the only answer Loke gave.

Lucy convinced him that it wasn't necessary so they stayed and continued to talk with Mia and Thoma. "So now that the whirlwind has died down," Mia started. She turned her attention to look straight at Lucy. "With the threat of you being forced back home taken care of, will you want to join a magic guild?"

"When did this happen?" Thoma asked.

"Details," Mia pushed him away from her.

"They're kind of important at times," Thoma argued. He pushed Mia right back.

Mia looked like she was giving it some serious thought. Finally, she shook her head and said, "nah."

"I have actually thought about it," Lucy admitted. "But with the quest that we're on, it's not really possible unless they give us a lot of leeway. We need to travel to get to these ruins. When the next set reveals another location to us, we'll have to go there. Then the next and to the next until we find all the clues that we need."

"What kind of ruins?" Loke asked.

"They describe a spell called 'Stars Guidance'," Lucy explained. Loke's face lit up with joy when Lucy told him what it was that they were after.


End file.
